Obituary. , ■ i^ 



HENRY SUTER, 1841 1918. 



Wriii the issue (il tlic 1 wcuty-sccoiid x-oliiinc (if the Transactions a new star 

 ruse on the coiu'liological world. I''(ii' licic. undei- a \v,\nw liithcrto unknown, 

 appeared a series of excellent dcsciiptions of small land-shells, illustrated 

 with unusually clear and detailed drawinjrs by the same hand. In continu- 

 ation an account followed of the jaws and radula of various miiiute snails. 

 This very difficult work was beautifully done. 



These contributions, signed " H. Huter,'" wen^ waiiiily welcomed by a 

 little band of zoological research workers in Australasia. in answer to 

 iiujuivies as to who our new cojurade was. Captain Hutton replied that 

 he was a 8wiss. lately arrived in New Zealand with introductions from 

 well-known European zoologists. 



Henry Buter was born on the 9th March, 1841, and. was the son of a 

 prosperous silk-manufacturer of Zurich. He was educated at the local 

 school and universit\'. being trained as an anah'tical chemist. He joined 

 the business of his father, and for some years engaged in various commercial 

 pursuits. 



From his boyliood he was deeply interested in natural historw He 

 enjoyed the friendshi]) and helj) of such men as Dr. August Forel, Professor 

 Paul Clodet, the brothers de Saussure, Escher von der Linth, and eapeciall}' 

 the well-know'n conchologist Dr. Albert Mousson. 



Partly to improve his financial [)ros]5ects and jjartly lured by the 

 attraction of the fauna of a new country. 8utei' resolved to emigrate to 

 New Zealand. It was the last day of the year 1886 when with his wife 

 and a family of young children he landed in New Zealand. 



He began his colonial career by taking u}) a remote selection in the 

 Forty-mile Bush, in the Wairara])a district. It is only in a story that a 

 middle-aged townsman can ever turn backwoodsman with success, and so 

 aftei' about a year Suter relinquished the hard and hopeless struggle. 



At this critical time Captain Hutton, always a firm friend to zoologists, 

 succeeded in obtaining for his protege a ])ost as assistant manager at the 

 Mount Cook Hermitage. Subsequently work was available at the ( 'anter- 

 bury Museum. After that, at one or another of the scientific institutions 

 of New Zealand Suter spent the remainder of his life at congenial employ- 

 ment. 



Henry Suter was an expert collector. He excelled in taking the 

 minutest land-shells, to find which requires knowledge, patience, and the 

 sharpest eyes. Specialists in other groups were often supplied hy Suter 

 with valuable material. In Switzerland he had formed a fine collection 

 of European land and fresh- water shells. This was afterv,'ards acquired 

 by the Australian Museum. 



For several years Suter restricted his studies to the terrestrial and 

 Huviatile Mollusca of his adopted country. When his work on these 

 approached completion he proposed to extend his investigations to land 

 Mollusca abroad. Hence his scattered papers on land Mollusca from 

 Brazil, South Africa, and Tasmania. His friends, however, persuaded him 

 that science would be better served if he relinquished the foreign shells 

 and transferred his attention to the marine Mollusca of New Zealand. 

 Not only did he take this course, but he finally embraced the Tertiary 

 Mollusca also in his sphere of operations. 

 Inset i — Tran.s. 



