Check the field materials list. Make sure to have at least 15 pairs of gloves and 15 tubes filled with 4 ml RNAlater, enough to be able to collect samples from an entire group. Before going into the field, use labeling tape to label the caps of the tubes filled with RNAlater with 1 through 15. Then, weigh the mass of each each tube, including the RNAlater and the cap. Record the mass for each vial in a notebook, using a new page each day. Each page should contain only the date, the list of numbers 1-15, and the corresponding mass for each numbered vial. It is ok to re-use vials between days, just be sure that no numbers are repeated within a day.
Each sample you collect will be assigned a unique ID code which you will record on the data sheet and on each collection container before filling them with fecal matter. These instructions therefore begin with how to fill out the data sheet and assign the ID code, and then explain how to collect the samples.