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hunting specimens on account of their bad plumage during that time of the year. 61 In reality, the
manner with which he collected rare birds was to first observe them in their behaviour and habits,
and record accurate observations about them even before thinking about collecting specimens. 62
The greatest disgust for contemporary conservationists has been the excessive numbers he
collected, especially of rare species, and the lengths he went to, as he seems to have been willing
to sacrifice his life, money and own safety to achieve his goal (107). While many opportunistic
collectors were motivated by greed, “a few felt that, since all the unique native birds were bound
to become extinct anyway, the best thing to do was to ensure that good specimens reached as
many museums as possible”. 63 Reischek should not automatically be placed in the first category,
as Westerskov writes: “Like others of his day (e.g. [Sir Walter Lawry] Buller, 64 [Thomas Henry]
Potts) 65 Reischek collected, traded, and swapped specimens of birds, rare and common. In that
respect he appears no better and no worse than anyone else: collection was in that period the way
to learn of species, maybe find new ones.” 66 However, one clear difference between Reischek and
the general collector/taxidermist was the fact that he recorded his observations. Despite various
inaccuracies and mistakes due to his lack of formal training and relevant books available to him,
Reischek “added materially to the understanding of the distribution of New Zealand birds and to
biological facts on the life histories of various species; on nests and eggs, on food and feeding,
and on behaviour”. 67
The prime example given to illustrate his excessive shooting practices is the hihi. 68 In two
letters to the Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs from 1922 and 1924, Johannes Andersen 69
argues that Reischek was “responsible for a very considerable thinning-out of the numbers of our
rare birds”, including the shooting of 150 hihi specimens, and it was his assurances that he had
“left a few for breeding purposes” which “urged other collectors to try to secure the few before
61 Reischek, “Letter to Cheeseman, 29 March 1887”, 164.
62 Andreas Reischek, “Der Tiora”, in: Jugendheimat 11 (1897): 328. For example: “I was so interested in watching
this beautiful bird […] with its quick and graceful movements, that it disappeared before I attempted to use my gun”
(Andreas Reischek, “Notes on New Zealand Ornithology: Observations on Pogonornis cincta (Dubus); Stitch-Bird
(Tiora), in: TPNZI 18 (1886): 85).
63 King, Immigrant Killers, 78.
64 See Ross Galbreath, Walter Buller: The Reluctant Conservationist. Wellington: GP Books, 1989; Ross Galbreath,
“Buller, Walter Lawry 1838 – 1906: Interpreter, magistrate, ornithologist, lawyer”, in: DNZB 1, 53f.
65 See Paul Star, “Potts, Thomas Henry 1824 – 1888: Explorer, runholder, conservationist, naturalist”, in: DNZB 2,
396f.
66 K. E. Westerskov, “Andreas Reischek 1845-1902”, in: Flying Start, 192.
67 Ibid., 192.
68 Reischek uses the alternative Maori name of ‘tiora’ instead of ‘hihi’.
69 See P. J. Gibbons, “Andersen, Johannes Carl 1873 – 1962: Clerk, poet, ethnologist, librarian, editor, historian”, in:
DNZB 3, 14f.
239