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Thürheim, left a lasting impression on the youth. Hunting had always played a major role among
the Austrian aristocracy and was “respected and admired by subordinate social classes” 10 alike.
As one historian writes: “Shooting seems often to be its chief object in life”. 11 Reischek returned
to Linz in 1853 to attend formal schooling, in which history and geography were his main
interests. However, as his father could not financially support him in higher education, 12 Reischek
was apprenticed to Herr Danner in 1860, a baker in Unterweissenbach who also had a keen
interest in hunting, which in turn developed Reischek’s love of collecting and natural history.
With his earnings he invested in scientific books and travel literature. At the age of twenty-one he
was then conscripted into the army during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Upon his return from
the field, he was taken in as gamekeeper by his superior, Baron Gotter von Resti-Ferrari, who
later recommended him to Baron Pasetti, the Austrian military attaché in Rome, after taking leave
from military service. Reischek accompanied Pasetti on his travels through Italy and Tyrol
between 1870 and 1875, during which time he was able to attend lectures in natural science at the
university in Rome. It was, however, his subsequent decision to move to Vienna in 1875,
following the Baron’s death, in order to undertake a career in taxidermy which ultimately led to
his connection to New Zealand. The following year Haast inquired of his long-time friend,
Hochstetter, whether he knew of someone who could fill the position of taxidermist at the
Canterbury Museum. In October 1876 on the recommendation of Dr Franz Steindachner, the
custodian of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Hochstetter offered Reischek the two-year
contract in Christchurch on the understanding that the latter collect specimens for the former after
completing his time with Haast, especially items of ethnographical nature, which he would
receive money for upon his return. 13 Following his acceptance, Reischek left Trieste on the
10
John M. Mackenzie, The Empire of Nature: Hunting, Conservation and British Imperialism. Manchester:
Manchester UP, 1988, 23.
11 th
Henry Wickham Steed, The Hapsburg Monarchy. 4 Ed. London: Constable & Co, 1919, 133.
12
H. Commenda, “Nachruf”, in: Jahresberichte des Vereins für Naturkunde 31 (1902): 4. This is the standard
argument which has been taken up by most scholars. Heger, on the other hand, states the reason for Reischek not
being able to continue his studies was the lengthy illness of his mother (Franz Heger, “Nekrolog: Andreas Reischek”,
in: MAGW 32 (1902): 409).
13
In his own words: “Im Oktober 1876 wurde ich auf Anregung des Herrn Hofrat Dr. Steindachner zu Herrn Hofrat
von Hochstetter, Intendant des k.k. Naturhistor. Hofmuseum, gerufen. Letzterer stellte die Frage, ob ich mich nicht
entscheiden könnte nach Neuseeland zu reisen, um im Christchurch Museum [sic] die zoologischen Sammlungen zu
ordnen, und nach Vollendung dieser Arbeit für das k. k. naturhistor. Hofmuseum zu sammeln, besonderes
Augenmerk sollte ich den Maori, den dortigen Eingeborenen zuwenden. Herr Hofrat sagte, Geld habe er zwar jetzt
keines dafür, doch es würde mir alles bezahlt werden wenn ich mit reichen Sammlungen zurückkehre” (cited in:
Aubrecht, “Andreas Reischek”, 15). Unfortunately, King unfairly implies Reischek’s sole goal was to “gather a
collection in New Zealand that would enable him to secure status and financial security when he returned to Europe”
(King, Collector, 52), rather than an agreement made with Hochstetter, which, however, came to nought with the
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