During the summer of 1951 Mr. Harlen Jarvis of Pliny-on-the-Poca was frequently disturbed early every morning by a crow. It seems that there was a large owl that would prowl at night. By dawn the crow would come across the owl, and begin to harass it. It is well known that crows have a strong antipathy to owls. After several weeks of being awakened by the raucous noise of the crow, Mr. Jarvis decided to take action.

Jarvis arose very early on the morning of August 9th, 1951, and placed himself outside with his shotgun. When the crow began to circle the owl, he took several shots at it. Since his aim was poor, he missed, but the effort served to cause the crow to leave the area. With the crow gone, peace came to his property, and the owl was able to catch small animals without the interference of the crow.

However, the owl would devour its catch on the chimney of Jarvis’s house. As a result, bones and hair-balls began to collect in the flue. In early October, Jarvis fired up his stove, and the house promptly filled with smoke. He went to the roof to clean the clogged flue. In so doing, Jarvis fell through the roof, doing some damage to his person. The stove was knocked over, and a fire ensued that took his house.

After Jarvis recovered and rebuilt his house, he began to put corn out to attract the crow. This was successful, and the crow was able to cause the owl to leave the area. During 1952 Mr. Jarvis lobbied the Pliny Town Council to name the crow the Official Pliny Bird. This was accomplished by official action in July of 1953. However, in August of that year a fox ate Jarvis’s crow.