1881.] 
299 
[Cochituate Water. 
The Secretary was directed to send a copy of the vote to the 
City Council. 
General Meeting. December 7, 1881. 
The President, Mr. S. H. Scudder, in the chair. Seventy- 
four persons present. 
The President announced the death of Dr. John Bacon, a mem- 
ber of the Society for many years. 
Miss Emily A. Nunn and Dr. Wm. H. Ruddick were elected 
Associate Members. 
Mr. F. W. Putnum called attention to the coming annual meet- 
ing of the Society of AmericanTaxidermists to be held in the city. 
Prof. A. Hyatt then introduced the subject of the supposed 
pollution of the Boston water-supply by the fresh-water Spong- 
illa, and described the nature and anatomy of sponges in general. 
Mr. B. H. Yan Yleck described the present condition of Farm 
Pond, and the amount of sponge to be found in it. From his 
observations he concluded that the sponge was at least not the 
whole cause of the peculiar taste of Farm Pond water. 
Dr. H. I. Bowditch sjioke of the necessity of examining other 
ponds and water basins, and comparing their conditions. He 
referred also to the first trouble in Cochituate in 1858, and read 
an extract thereon from Dr. J. M. Warren’s diary. 
Dr. C. S. Minot called attention to the careful analyses, by Pro- 
fessor Leeds of Hoboken, of the water supplies of our large cities, 
which showed that that of Boston was far in the worst condition 
He thought that attention paid to the cucumber taste was misdi- 
rected, and tended to draw attention from the much more impor- 
tant question of the dangerous sewerage pollution of our whole 
supply of water. 
Dr. H. J. Barnes maintained that Sudbury River and its stor- 
age basins were originally pure and heathful. He thought the 
