From my own collection, this is yet another of the many instruments used in Malta instead of bells during Holy Week. Here we have a ratchet with two cog wheels inside a largish wooden resonating box. When manually turning the external handle the two cogs scrape against each other. This instrument is very likely to have once had another purpose but was later being used in a chapel as a ċuqlajta.
A smaller ratchet inside a resonating box is to be found in the Naxxar parish. This however, has a faceted cylinder with protruding teeth. It likewise has an external handle that rotates the cylinder. Birkirkara parish also has a similar small boxed ratchet with an external handle.
Since I saw these several years ago, I just hope that the ratchets are still well preserved in the parishes I mention!
