"Is that really a hurdy, Gerty?"

Many years ago I was walking through a subway in Munich when I heard
a chicken singing an operatic aria.  I found a beautiful exotic bird,
in very colorful plumage, in a small jungle of green silk foliage.
The bird moved its head, beak, feet and wings in a very natural way.

The ingenious beggar-organ builder cranked his organ with his left
hand and played a group of the percussion instruments with his left
foot.  A vertical shepherd's crook of metal supported a catgut cord
which was anchored to the center of a drum head.  On his right hand
he wore a two-fingered rosined leather glove.   He pinched the catgut
and then pulled it down and released it very skillfully to produce the
"cluck-cluck-squawk cluck-cluck-cluck-squaaaaawk" voice of the musical
bird.  His right foot played bass on another drum.  The whole effect
was very pleasing, at least if listened to quite briefly.

Questions:

What player instruments use this same system of tone production?
Where can we see and hear such an instrument today?  Is this related
to the hurdy-gurdy which has so spectacularly regained its medieval
popularity?   Evidently hurdy-gurdies are played with a button-board
or keyboard, but what about the very rare(?) _player_ hurdies?

Some early Teutonic coin slots displayed a vertical violin under glass
which was played with wooden discs covered with rosined leather.  Does
anyone have one of these playing today?  Is this the type of accessory
instrument which could be easily made and added to a built-up piano or
a keyboard perhaps playing "O" or "G" or Caliola rolls?

Jim Lynch, Milwaukee WI

 [ I think "listening briefly" is important to this topic.
 [ I can listen for hours to a well-regulated Hupfeld Phonoliszt
 [ violin-playing instrument; others quickly tire my ears.
 [ -- Robbie