A test of the validity of two currently used methods of determining bat prey preferences

Direct field observations were made of foraging grey bat (Myotis grisescens, Howell 1909) over an east Tennessee Reservoir. Conclusions from these observations differed markedly from results of analyses of feces and culled insect remains from beneath the bats' roosts. This led to an investigation of the validity of the latter techniques. In a single blind experiment, captive gray bats were fed a variety of kinds of insects, and their feces were examined to determine meal composition.