I vote for a juvenile spotted towhee. No mention is made of size, but a
brownish ground dweller with head stripes might fit the bill.

----------
> From: Cathi Pelletier <heronwing at juno.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: RE: Long-Distance ID
> Date: Wednesday, June 04, 1997 5:18 PM
>
> Hi Tweeters-
>
> My daughter-in-law, who is a casual birder, recently asked my help for a
> long-distance ID.
> She says the bird "looked a lot like a black-throated gray warbler" but,
> it had a white stripe down the center of its head. I thought of
> black-and-white warbler immediately, but since this bird is not common in
> your area, we are hestitating. She also said she thought the bird had
> "more brown on it" than the BAWW. The bird was moving around at ground
> level, which also makes me doubt
> BAWW.
>
> Sorry for the vague description. Can anyone help?
>
> BTW, she lives on Ft. Lewis, which is where she saw this mystery bird.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Cathi Pelletier
> Waterbury, CT
> Heronwing at juno.com