them through a sieve. The particles were 
counted in water under a binocular dissecting 
microscope. For examination by microscope, 
the droppings were soaked in water, cooked in 
10 percent KOH solution in water bath for 5 
minutes, shaken, drained, and stained with 
Sudan III (alcohol solution) for 1 hour. The 
material was then mounted in glycerin gelatine 
or glycerine with wax edging. 
Kiley (1966) prepared samples by the meth- 
ods described by Storr (1961). The presence or 
absence of the individual species’ epidermis in 
the feces was recorded; no quantitative data 
were taken. One sample was taken from each 
of two animals in seven different localities in 
three National Parks. The percentages were 
obtained by counting the number of fragments 
of dicotyledonous plant cuticles and grass cuti- 
cles per low field (100X). Ten subsamples were 
counted from each fecal sample. He states that 
the limitations of this method of estimating 
quantitatively the amount of dicotyledons pres- 
ent in the feces are well known, and these fig- 
ures are considered merely as a guide for 
further work. 
EVALUATION OF FECAL ANALYSIS 
METHOD 
The use of a fecal examination to determine 
plant use certainly has value. Studies to date 
have found only a few species of plants that 
lost their identity when they passed through 
an animal. Qualitative data on a frequency 
basis was possible. The possibilities of making 
quantitative measurements is somewhat ques- 
tionable. More studies are needed to evaluate 
the use of fecal analysis, particularly with dif- 
ferent animals on different ranges. 
There are a few points that can be learned 
from the work already completed. 
1. Only fresh dropping should be used to re- 
late animal use with time and place. 
2. Freezing has been found to be a good way 
to store fecal samples. 
5. The work is time consuming and is sub- 
ject to variation. Specific information within 
close limits of accuracy are very costly. 
4. The method has more value in providing 
limited information where trends and relative 
importance of food items are important. 
5. Fecal samples are plentiful and are easily 
obtained. They can be obtained without the dif- 
ficulties connected with stomach contents. 
6. Each animal species has its own factors 
that will influence the results. Preliminary 
studies to evaluate procedures are desirable. 
7. Knowledge of the habits and habitat of 
the herbivore being studied are prerequisite to 
the success of a study. 
154 
A Study on Elk Fecal Material 
During the summer of 1967, the author 
conducted a feeding trial with two penned 
spike bull elk to evaluate fecal analysis to de- 
termine diet. A half-acre plot in Nelson Park 
on the Snowy Range of southern Wyoming was 
mowed with a rotary power mower at 1-inch 
stubble height. All cut vegetation was collected 
in the pickup bag of the mower. Small samples 
were randomly plucked from each full bag and 
were separated in the laboratory. The main 
volume of vegetation was placed in burlap bags 
and transported to the Sybille Wildlife Re- 
search Unit of the Wyoming Game and Fish 
ands and placed in their cooler until 
ed. 
The two elk were penned together and fed 
the mowed vegetation exclusively for 10 days. 
They ate an average of 26 pounds of air dry 
forage each day for each of the 3 days records 
were kept. 
Fecal pellets were collected starting on day 5 
of feeding. A small sample of fecal material 
was extracted from the middle of each pellet 
with forceps. This material was pooled, stirred 
in water and detergent, and filtered through 
silk bolting cloth. It was then placed on blot- 
ting paper for drying. While still damp, small 
samples were placed on microscope slides and 
spread in Hoyer’s solution before being covered 
with a 24- by 50-mm. coverslip. 
Each slide was examined under the micro- 
scope at 100X magnification, and percentages 
by volume of grasses and forbs were estimated 
at 10 random points on each slide. The average 
percent for grasses and forbs was then calcu- 
lated for each slide. The percentages for the 10 
slides were totaled, and an average percentage 
for all slides was calculated. Grasses made up 
94.4 and forbs 5.6 percent of the fecal material 
examined. 
Vegetation samples collected in the field at 
the time of mowing were separated by hand 
into grasses and forbs and air dried, and the 
percentages by weight were calculated. Grasses 
made up 94.7 and forbs 5.3 percent (forbs 
ranged from 3.3 to 8.1 percent for 7 bags) of 
mowed samples by weight. 
INTERPRETING RESULTS 
Subsampling From the Sample 
The size of food sample collected varies with 
the herbivore being studied. For small rodents 
and most birds, the entire stomach or crop is 
taken. For large animals, the standard practice 
has been to collect a quart of food material. 
This sample is taken from the rumen or ru- 
men-reticulum in ruminants. For fistulated an- 
imals, sample volumes from 1 pint to 1 quart 
are taken from sheep and one-half to 1 gallon 
