The word "chalet" (shå-l´) means "cottage". The term is now used chiefly to mean Swiss cottages. These are built in one general style. The lower story is of stone. The upper story is of wood. The roof is made of shingles and projects far out over the house. Where the country is rough, and mountain floods are common, the roofs are weighed down with stones. Sometimes a torrent breaks over a mountain side and plunges into the valley. Then the houses need to be strong and the roofs solid. The view shows an ideal Swiss scene. Against the side of the cottage is stacked a pile of wood. This is to be used for fuel, perhaps for cooking. The pile will be much larger before winter comes; for huge fires are needed to drive out the cold in these mountains when the now falls. In the little out-house are stored supplies of food. The narrow road winds up the valley past another farm house. It looks like a ribbon unwound among the foothills. The little field is strongly fenced. You would call it only a garden. Most Swiss fields are only gardens in size. Only a small part of the land is tillable, but it is carefully tended. Every village has its herdsman who drives the cattle each summer morning up the mountain sides where the pastures are green. In the distance the picture shows the white cap of an Alpine peak. The snows on its top are everlasting. In the valley are trees that shed their leaves in the fall. Beyond and higher to the right you will observe the evergreens. Beyond these the trees are only shrubs. Then plant life disappears, and the line of snow is reached. Generally speaking, wild animal life also stops with the line of vegetation. There are a few exceptions to this, however. Keystone ID: 10702 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.