Austrian taxidermist, ornithologist and grave robber
A portrait of Reischek
Andreas Reischek (15 September 1845 – 3 April 1902) was anAustriantaxidermist,naturalist,ornithologist and grave robber notable for his extensive natural history collecting expeditions throughout New Zealand as well as being notorious for acts ofgrave robbing there. He added materially to the understanding of the biology and distribution of the New Zealand avifauna.[1]
Reischek was born inLinz,Austrian Empire. After attending school for a few years he worked as an apprentice to abaker and developed a strong interest in natural history, also becoming skilled intaxidermy. He saw war service inTyrol in 1866 during theThird Italian War of Independence and also served as agamekeeper and guide before working as a taxidermist inVienna. He married Adelheid Hawlicek on 5 May 1875.[2][3]
Much of Reischek's early work in New Zealand centred on the museums in Christchurch,Auckland (where he was employed between 1880 and 1888)[4] andWhanganui but, after his initial two-year contract was completed, he made several extended collecting expeditions over the next ten years, covering most of New Zealand and its sub-Antarctic islands, collectingbiological andethnographical specimens, includingMāoriskulls andmummifiedcadavers robbed from burial sites. On his expeditions he was constantly accompanied by his dog "Caesar", who saved his life on more than one occasion.[3][5]
Reischek collected not only for museums and private collectors, but primarily for himself. His ornithological collecting has been subsequently criticised for such reckless actions as shooting 150 specimens of the rarestitchbird onLittle Barrier Island at a time when it had become extinct everywhere else.[6] He was strong, physically fit and a good linguist, becoming fluent in bothEnglish andMāori.[2] In 1885 he was elected aFellow of theLinnean Society of London.[3]
When Reischek returned to Austria in 1889 he took with him a huge personal collection of over 14,000 items. Ornithological specimens alone numbered over 3000, including many of nowextinct species such as thehuia, and is one of the most complete in existence of New Zealand's birds. The collection was eventually bought by friends of Reischek and presented to theImperial Natural History Museum in Vienna.[1]
Two years after his return his wife gave birth to a son, Andreas. In 1892 he was asked to superintend the establishment of theFrancisco Carolinum Museum in Linz, the town of his birth, where he died in 1902.[2] He is commemorated in the name ofReischek's parakeet, endemic to New Zealand'sAntipodes Islands.
Reischek's book about his travels in New Zealand, "Yesterdays in Maoriland", was compiled posthumously by his son from his diaries. It was first published in German in 1924 and was not available in an English translation until 1930.
While in New Zealand Reischek published numerous articles on natural history inTransactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute (now theRoyal Society of New Zealand):
1881 – Notes on Zoological Researches made on the Chicken Islands, East Coast of the North Island. Vol.14, pp. 274–277.[9]
1884 – Notes on New Zealand Ornithology. Vol.17, pp. 187–198.[10]
1885 – Notes on New Zealand Ornithology: Observations onPogonornis cincta (Dubus); Stitch-Bird (Tiora). Vol.18, pp. 84–87.[11]
1885 – Notes on New Zealand Ornithology: Observations onProcellaria parkinsoni (Grey), Brown Petrel (Taiko). Vol.18, pp. 87–90.[12]
1885 – Observations on Gould's Petrel (Hutton),Procellaria gouldi (Ohi), their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, pp. 90–91.[13]
1885 – Observations on Cook's Petrel (Grey),Procellaria cooki (Ti Ti), their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, pp. 92–93.[14]
1885 – Observations onPuffinus gavius (Forst.), Rain-bird, (Hakoakoa), their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, 93–94.[15]
1885 – Observations onPuffinus assimilis (Gould), Totorore, their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, pp. 95–96.[16]
1885 – Observations on the Habits of New Zealand Birds, their Usefulness or Destructiveness to the Country. Vol.18, pp. 96–104.[17]
1885 – Notes on the Habits of some New Zealand Birds. Vol.18, pp. 105–107.[18]
1885 – Notes on the Habits of the Polecat, Ferret, Mongoose, Stoat, and Weasel. Vol.18, pp. 110–112.[20]
1886 – Description of the Little Barrier or Hauturu Island, the Birds which inhabit it, and the Locality as a Protection to them. Vol.19, pp. 181–184.[21]
1886 – Notes on Ornithology. Vol.19, pp. 184–188.[22]
1886 – Ornithological Notes. Vol.19, pp. 188–193.[23]
^abWesterskov, K.E. (1990). "Andreas Reischek, 1845-1902". pp.191-193 inA Flying Start. Commemorating Fifty Years of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, ed. B.J. Gill & B.D. Heather. Random Century: Auckland.ISBN1-86941-080-7
^abcdPhillipps, William John. “REISCHEK, Andreas”, fromAn Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 18-Sep-2007.[1]
