There are many Japanese who have heard the word "Humming-bird", but few have seen a live one and even the stuffed specimens were not seen by many people. Humming-birds were imported into Japan only twice before the Pacific War. The first person who bred the hummer was Mr. Rihee Okada, the aviculturist in Itami, Hyôgo Pref. while the second was Yamashina, the senior author. Thirteen humming-birds were brought into Japan in four groups across the Pacific by Mr. E.
Kinsey, the bird-fancier in San Francisco. The species then imported were the Anna Humming-bird Calypte anna and the Allen Humming-bird Selasphorus sasin both of which inhabit the United States. One male of the former and a pair of the latter were the first to come to Japan on April 9, 1937 and the rest of them arrived one after the other in the following twelve months. Afterwards a pair of the Anna Humming-birds selected from among them were presented by the senior author to the Zoological Garden at Uéno, Tokyo. Here the first time in our country the live humming-birds were exhibited to the public to the great wonder of many Japanese, but unfortunately in a week they were found missing.
On March 16, 1955 eight hummers from Brazil were brought in Japan and several of them were exhibited to the public in Uéno Zoo. It is said that those birds were the gift of a Japanese living there. Since those hummers were the first ones to arrive in this country after the war, they became a great topic among those who are fond of birds and animals. One of them represents Anthracothorax viridigula and the rest of them seem to be Eupetomena macroura.
The senior author was so enthusiastic about keeping the hummers alive that one of the Anna Humming-birds lived for three years and nine months and one of the Allen Humming-birds for exactly four years both of which are the highest records of humming-bird breeding in Japan.
One hummer sent to Mr. Okada from the U. S. A. died in a week, but the specific name of which is unknown.
