Reischek Andreas
Andreas Reischek (15 September 1845 3 April 1902)
was an Austrian taxidermist, naturalist, ornithologist and collector notable for his extensive natural history collecting expeditions throughout New Zealand as well as being notorious for acts of grave robbing there. He added materially to the understanding of the biology and distribution of the New Zealand avifauna.Contents
1 Early years
2 New Zealand
3 Later years
4 BibliographyEarly years
Reischek was born in Linz, Austria. After attending school for a few years he worked as an apprentice to a baker and developed a strong interest in natural history, also becoming skilled in taxidermy. He saw war service in Tyrol in 1866 during the Third Italian War of Independence and also served as a gamekeeper and guide before working as a taxidermist in Vienna. He married Adelheid Hawlicek on 5 May 1875.New Zealand
In 1877 Reischek was chosen by Ferdinand von Hochstetter to travel to New Zealand for two years to help set up displays at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, then under the directorship of Julius von Haast.Much of Reischeks early work in New Zealand centred on the museums in Christchurch, Auckland and Wanganui 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, collecting biological and ethnographical specimens, including M?ori skulls and mummified cadavers robbed from burial sites. On his expeditions he was constantly accompanied by his dog "Caesar", who saved his life on more than one occasion.
Reischek collected not only for museums and private collectors, but also, and primarily, for himself. His ornithological collecting has been subsequently criticised for such reckless actions as shooting 150 specimens of the rare Stitchbird on Little Barrier Island at a time when it had become extinct everywhere else.[5] He was strong, physically fit and a good linguist, becoming fluent in both English and Maori. In 1885 he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.[3]
Later years
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 now extinct species such as the Huia, 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 the Imperial Natural History Museum in Vienna.Two years after his return his wife gave birth to a son, Andreas. In 1892 he was asked to superintend the establishment of the Francis-Caroline Museum in Linz, the town of his birth, where he died in 1902.[2] He is commemorated in the name of Reischek's Parakeet, endemic to New Zealands Antipodes Islands.
Bibliography
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 in Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute (now the Royal 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.
1884 Notes on New Zealand Ornithology. Vol.17, pp.187-198.[7]
1885 Notes on New Zealand Ornithology: Observations on Pogonornis cincta (Dubus); Stitch-Bird (Tiora). Vol.18, pp.84-87.
1885 Notes on New Zealand Ornithology: Observations on Procellaria parkinsoni (Grey), Brown Petrel (Taiko). Vol.18, pp.87-90.
1885 Observations on Gould's Petrel (Hutton), Procellaria gouldi (Ohi), their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, pp.90-91
1885 Observations on Cook's Petrel (Grey), Procellaria cooki (Ti Ti), their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, pp.92-93.
1885 Observations on Puffinus gavius (Forst.), Rain-bird, (Hakoakoa), their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, 93-94.
1885 Observations on Puffinus assimilis (Gould), Totorore, their Habits and Habitats. Vol.18, pp.95-96.
1885 Observations on the Habits of New Zealand Birds, their Usefulness or Destructiveness to the Country. Vol.18, pp.96-104
1885 Notes on the Habits of some New Zealand Birds. Vol.18, pp.105-107.
1885 Observations on Sphenodon punctatum, Fringe-back Lizard (Tuatara). Vol.18, pp.108-110.
1885 Notes on the Habits of the Polecat, Ferret, Mongoose, Stoat, and Weasel. Vol.18, pp.110-112.
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.
1886 Notes on Ornithology. Vol.19, pp.184-188.
1886 Ornithological Notes. Vol.19, pp.188-193.
1887 Notes on Rats. Vol.20, pp.125-126.
1887 Recent Explorations North of Chalky Sound, West Coast of Otago. Vol.20, p.441.
1888 Notes on the Islands to the South of New Zealand. Vol.21, pp.378-389.
Reischek, Andreas 1845 - 1902
Taxidermist, collector, naturalist
Andreas Reischek was born on 15 September 1845 at Linz, Austria, the son of Barbara Danzer and her husband, Andreas Reischek, a collector of shipping fees. His mother died soon after he was born and Andreas was raised by the widow of the head gardener at Weinberg castle in Kefermarkt, north-east of Linz. The castle, with its large grounds and collections of mounted natural specimens, artefacts and exotic flora, was the ideal environment for engendering a fascination with both natural history and wealthy respectability.About 1853 Reischek returned to Linz for formal schooling, and unable through poverty to attend university was apprenticed to a baker. During this and subsequent employment as a gamekeeper and guide Reischek improved his skills in hunting and preserving animals, and in 1875 he moved to Vienna to set up as a taxidermist.
Through his work Reischek became acquainted with Ferdinand von Hochstetter, intendant of the Imperial Natural History Museum. When in 1876 Hochstetter was asked by Julius von Haast of the Canterbury Museum in New Zealand to find him a taxidermist, he recommended Reischek. Despite having married Adelheid Hawlicek on 5 May the previous year, Reischek eagerly left Austria, with a promise to return in two years. He arrived at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, on the Tararua on 20 April 1877. He was to stay for 12 years. Reischek was short and wiry, bearded, with a receding hairline and an ingratiating and likeable nature.
In Christchurch Reischek immediately began work on the 30 chests of skins and skeletons awaiting him. However, his principal aim in coming to New Zealand seems to have been to amass an ethnological and natural history collection with which he could return to Vienna to the kind of acclaim accorded Hochstetter on his return from New Zealand in 1860. He financed his collecting expeditions by periods of work as a taxidermist, principally at Canterbury and Auckland museums, and by supplying specimens to private collectors and museums. His work was always highly praised.
Reischek's first expedition was a solo trek from Christchurch to the West Coast in 1877--78. He explored the Southern Alps with Haast in 1879 before sailing to the Kaipara Harbour and travelling widely in Northland. He made frequent trips to the northern offshore islands, including four trips to Little Barrier Island in search of the stitchbird. Extensive collecting expeditions in the King Country in 1882 were followed by fruitless searches for the takahe ( Notornis ) in Fiordland in 1884 and 1887--88, and an expedition to the sub-Antarctic islands on the government steamer Stella in 1888. One final postponement to rejoining his increasingly distressed wife involved an ascent of Mt Ruapehu and travels around the Bay of Plenty. Many of his notes were published in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.
Reischek often endured appalling privations in the pursuit of his collection. He was usually accompanied only by his dog, Caesar, whose intelligence and abilities became legendary, and to whom Reischek (by his own account) owed his life many times. Even allowing for the notorious exaggerations and inaccuracies of Reischek's diaries, the expedition to Dusky Sound in 1884 seems to have been especially arduous: he was plagued by sandflies and incessant rain, injured himself with an axe, lost his tent in a snow storm, suffered food poisoning and almost drowned. A sole consolation, the capture of several kakapo, was denied him when they escaped on the return trip.
As an Austrian Reischek was advantaged in his relations with Maori in the period following the wars of the 1860s. To help his amicable bartering and purchase of a variety of artefacts he sang, played the mouth organ and had Caesar perform tricks. However, if an open approach failed he did not hesitate to use subterfuge, often turning Maori customs, such as fear of tapu, to his advantage. He frequently dug up pa sites and burial caves, taking human skulls, tools and ornaments.
Reischek's most famous exploit was his removal of the 'Kawhia mummies'. The King Country had been largely closed to Europeans since 1864, but by 1881 Tawhiao, the Maori King, was interested in re-establishing contact. After extensive negotiations Reischek gained Tawhiao's trust, and was permitted to conduct expeditions around Pirongia Mountain and Kawhia Harbour. Eventually Hochstetter's description of the sacred burial caves in cliffs on the Awaroa River proved irresistible, and knowing the value placed on complete human remains Reischek mounted an assault. Under the cover of darkness and with the aid of helpers he extricated two desiccated corpses, which were smuggled out of the area. One of the bodies was probably that of Tupahau, a seventeenth century Tainui chief; both ended up in the Imperial Natural History Museum at Vienna.
The seeming hypocrisy of Reischek's behaviour was characteristic of nineteenth century scientific thought, and is also reflected in his view of nature. He felt no compunction about shooting hundreds of rare native birds - having discovered the nearly extinct stitchbird he eventually shot a total of 150 specimens. However, he could at times express an awareness of ecological and conservationist principles, perceiving a 'connection and coherence of the manifold works of God' and decrying 'civilised man' who 'destroys the wonderful equipoise of Nature' and is 'not even capable of repairing the damage he causes'.
Reischek finally left New Zealand on 20 February 1889. The Auckland Weekly News described him as 'the best ornithologist New Zealand ever saw', and the Auckland Institute wished him 'the success and recognition in Europe which his arduous and valuable researches in New Zealand so well deserve.' He arrived in Vienna on 15 April to be greeted by his wife.
Reischek had the largest single collection of ethnological and natural history specimens ever taken to Europe from New Zealand. It attracted passing popular attention but few buyers, and was eventually sold for a modest sum.
Acclaim and wealth having eluded him, Reischek accepted a job in 1892 at the museum in Linz, and spent his last years in poverty. His prized fellowship of the Linnean Society of London, conferred in 1885, had lapsed after six years through non-payment of the subscription. He died in Linz on 3 April 1902. He was survived by his wife and a son, Andreas.
Possibly Reischek's major achievement was his near-complete collection of New Zealand birds, many specimens of which are still in perfect condition. But it is the removal of the bodies from Kawhia for which many remember him. The posthumous publication of his autobiographical writings as Yesterdays in Maoriland (1930), with its boastful account of his abuse of Tawhiao's hospitality, highlighted practices which although not uncommon were generally less publicly aired. Twentieth century attempts to have the bodies returned to Waikato finally bore fruit in 1985 when Tupahau's remains were retrieved and buried on Taupiri Mountain.
Ray G. Prebble
King, M. The collector. Auckland, 1981
Reischek, A. Yesterdays in Maoriland. London, 1930
Prebble, Ray G. 'Reischek, Andreas 1845 - 1902'. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 22 June 2007