118 Anne M. King, et al. 



who examined 25 stomachs from the Pisgah and Nantahala National 

 Forests and reported 24% contained rabbits. 



Birds were found in a greater percentage of the stomachs in 1978-79 

 than in 1979-80 (p<0.05). In both years the percent occurrence of birds 

 was greater in stomachs from the Mountains than from the Piedmont 

 region (p<0.05). Birds were found in proportionately more adult female 

 and kitten stomachs than in adult male stomachs (Fig. 2). Although this 

 relationship was not statistically significant in our study, Fritts and Sea- 

 lander (1978) also observed a similar trend in Arkansas. 



Statewide, cotton rats were the second ranking mammal by fre- 

 quency of occurrence. A high occurrence of cotton rats in kitten stom- 

 achs, although not significantly greater than in adults (p>0.05), reflects 

 a trend in prey size similar to that observed for birds, i.e., smaller prey 

 occurred more frequently in adult females and kittens than in adult 

 males. 



The percent occurrence of cotton rats was highest in the Piedmont 

 region where this species was the major food item (Table 3). Beasom 

 and Moore (1977) and Miller and Speake (1978) have shown that in 

 habitats where cotton rats were the most abundant small mammal, they 

 were the major prey item. Cotton rats ranked second in frequency in the 

 Coastal Plain region, but were found less than one-third as frequently as 

 rabbits, the major food item (Table 3). Cotton rats were not found in 

 stomachs examined from the Mountain region. 



Deer were identified in stomachs from all regions and ranked third 

 statewide among mammals in frequency of occurrence (Table 3). Al- 

 though a major food item in the Mountain region, the percent occur- 

 rence of deer was not significantly different (p>0.05) from that found in 

 other regions. 



Progulske (1952) reported deer as a winter food of bobcats in west- 

 ern North Carolina and Virginia and suggested they were eaten as car- 

 rion. Based on 124 scats from Virginia, he concluded deer were con- 

 sumed primarily during the fall and winter rather than in spring or 

 summer, and suggested hunting season casualties on deer might be par- 

 tially responsible. Managers of North Carolina wildlife areas reported 

 16 deer killed by bobcats in 1968 (Barrick 1969). 



Deer were found more frequently in stomachs of adult males than 

 in adult females or kittens (Fig. 2). In the Coastal Plain, observed fre- 

 quencies of deer were greater for adult males and less for adult females 

 and kittens than expected frequencies (p<0.05), possibly indicating a 

 selective preference for deer by adult males. Observed versus expected 

 frequencies of deer were not different (p>0.05) between the Piedmont or 

 Mountain regions, probably due to the small number of stomachs 

 examined from these regions. 



