Excess in the use of alcoholic stimulants is one of the most fatal errors into which the tropical resident can fall, and their habitual use as beverages is totally unnecessary, tea, coffee and cocoa being the best beverages for ordinary use. A small supply of brandy, champagne, and port wine may be of service in certain cases of illness, but they are better regarded as belonging strictly to the medical equipment. Avoid native drinks, as they will probably have been diluted with dirty water, or prepared in unclean vessels. Great moderation in the use of alcohol is quite as necessary in arctic as in tropical climates. In the latter no alcohol should be taken till the sun has set, and even then the quantity should be strictly limited. There is no reason why a glass of light beer, a whisky and soda, or a little light wine should not be drunk with the evening meal. Alcohol taken at this time often promotes appetite and aids digestion, but alcohol between meals is bad, chiefly perhaps because the habit of exceeding the daily allowance is thereby apt to be engendered. It is largely a question of self-control, and it must be remembered that in the tropics self-control, so far as drinks are concerned, is very apt to weaken. Apart from the question of its habitual use alcohol is often of great service as a restorative, as, for example, after a fatiguing march, and especially if one has got wet and chilled. Champagne is possibly the best form to take on such occasions and it should be used as an apéritif or drunk along with food. _Risks due to Drinking Water._—The use of water for drinking purposes must be attended with great care in all tropical climates. As the water of the lakes, streams and pools of these countries usually contains a large proportion of impurities, and the germs or parasites of many diseases, it should be strained and subsequently boiled before being used. As, however, it is not always possible or convenient to incur the delay of boiling the drinking water and allowing it to cool, it is advisable that a _reliable_ filter should be taken. Most filters—charcoal or otherwise—are merely death-traps, as the accumulation of germs and injurious matter within the filtering substance soon renders the water more dangerous than if unfiltered. There are, however, a few filters which, with ordinary care in cleansing, are in themselves efficient safeguards. The most highly recommended of these are the Pasteur Chamberland and the Doulton filters. In any case, spare filtering candles should be taken, and these should be cleaned and boiled at least every three days. It is recommended that the filter-makers should be consulted immediately the probable requirements of any expedition are known. It should be remembered that no filter combines rapid delivery of water with efficient sterilization. A mistake commonly made is to boil water and then filter it. This should never be done.