I saw an interesting flute/whistle? on ebay. A walking stick flute or whistle. It is a must see… It looks like you blow in the end that is touching the ground… Yuck! 
Jon
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2521768804&category=10183#DESC
I think Mack Hoover has made a few of these walking stick whistles. There used to be an elderly gentleman around here who played one. I think Ralph Sweet might make some flutes in walking canes, too.
I wonder if this one’s a recorder.
Yes, the Sweet flute-stick is pretty good.
Are they playable and in tune? I use a stick and or crutches and it sounds like it could be useful for me but a bit on the pricewy side with postage to UK. 
Selkie
The trans-atlantic postage would be awful - perhaps three times the cost of the item. (OK, so I’m just trying to scare off possible competition.)
Is it just my eyes, or does that thing look a little wierd.
1> It appears to have SEVEN tone holes. I thought simple flutes had six.
2> It really does look like it may be more whistle than flute - that thing looking out from under the end cap (yep, that’s the ground end) looks more like a whistle’s blade and window than a flute’s blow hole. Also, the description says it’s end-blown.
3> There’s a hole on the reverse side - and it looks like it may be more like a (shudder) recorder- or does that just represent the bell with perhaps solid wood above it?
It may be a flute/swagger stick, but it is not a flute/cane. Too short. At 25 inches, its 6-10 inches shorter than a walking cane. Unless you’re a midget, of course.
BTW, did anyone else check out the electric accordion he’s also selling? I couldn’t play it but it does look cool.
Yes, the sweetheart stick flute is both playable and in tune. The
Whistle Shop has 'em.
Transatlantic postage wouldn’t be as bad as 3 times the cost. I send items to Sweden constantly. An item like that will cost about 20 bucks if sent via postal 5~7 day service.
Gunnar - it was just meant as a joke.
I got a message back from this seller. The thing isn’t really either a whistle or a flute. It does have, as I suggested, seven note holes. Also, while there certainly is a whistle-type window and blade, there is no fipple per se. The end you see in the photos is NOT a rubber end cap but just a painted band, And as far as I can see, there is no beak but the player blows directly into the end, perhaps with the intrument held vertically like a chanter rather than horiontally like a whistle. He was also unable to tell me the key, but I’d hazard a guess that its pretty clearly diatonic.
I don’t see where the seller made this claim . It looks to me like a Turkish kaval.
-David
P.S. Just got confirmation from kaval player Edward J Hines from the group Anatolia that that is indeed what this instrument is. A little bit of info can be found from the Turkish Ministry of Culture.
David
Thanks for digging up this information. You may have saved me quite a bit of money, since I was seriously considering bidding - something I’ve decided to forego now that I’ve seen the information and litened to the clips.
Last thing I need is another and entirely different instrument.
Thanks from me as well. I’ve decided to go up to the Harp exhibition in Edinburgh tomorrow instead of bidding to cheer myself up after somebody hacked my ebay account for £4400.!!! and have a look at a small 19 stringed Aarval Harp. I also looked at this site http://walking.about.com/library/walk/ucmakestick2.htm for a diy walking stick and visulised myself with an apple corer trying to hollow a nice stick out. However I do fancy carving a decent walking stick now. The harp could be an interesting challenge and great for days when I’m not Whistling.
Last fall at the mini Highland event our St. Andrews Society put on for a fundraiser, there was a guy who made low whistles built into canes and walking staves and also some that looked like Native American flutes. If I’d had a bit of free cash, I’d have been in big trouble. They were impressive.
I have a bamboo walking stick flute and love it. It looks remarkably like the instrument on ebay, but is side blown rather than end blown like the auctioned item. It is in the key of G and has a mellow tone. Very relaxing and easy to play.