The most of these names must be understood merely as patronymic, the son called, according to the Celtic custom, after the name of his father. There is no reason to think that these were clan names in the usual sense. King Malcolm II. is called _Malcolum M’Cinnatha_, or Malcolm the son of Kenneth, but it would be sufficiently absurd to conclude that Malcolm was a Mackenzie. And yet there are two clans referred to in these remarkable records, the clan Canan and the clan Morgan. There is no reason to believe that either the Buchanans of Stirlingshire or of Argyleshire had any connection with the tribe of Canan mentioned here; but it is possible that the Mackays of the Reay country, whose ancient name was Clan Morgan, may have derived their origin from Buchan. It is interesting to observe that the Toiseachs are associated with these clans, _Comgell Mac Caennaig_ being called the _Toiseach_ of Clan Canan, and _Donnalic M’Sithig_ the _Toiseach_ of Clan Morgan, although neither of the men are designated by the clan name. It would seem that under the _Mormaors_ the family system existed and was acknowledged, the _Mormaor_ being the representative of the king, and the _Toiseach_ the head of the sept, who led his followers to battle when called upon to do so. At the same time the clan system would seem to have been in an entirely different condition from that to which it attained after the introduction of the feudal system, when the chiefs for the first time got feudal titles to their lands. Many other inferences might be made from these interesting records. It is enough, however, to say that they prove beyond a question the existence of a literary culture and a social organisation among the ancient Celts for which they do not always get credit; and if such a book existed at Deer, what reason is there to doubt that similar books were numerously dispersed over the other ecclesiastical institutions of the country? There is one curious entry towards the close of the MS.--“_Forchubus caichduini imbia arrath in lebran colli. aratardda bendacht foranmain in truagan rodscribai_ ... 7,” which is thus translated by Mr Whitley Stokes:--“Be it on the conscience of every one in whom shall be for grace the booklet with splendour: that he give a blessing on the soul of the wretchock who wrote it.” This is probably the true meaning of the Gaelic. But the original might be rendered in English by the following translation:--“Let it be on the conscience of each man in whom shall be for good fortune the booklet with colour, that he give a blessing on the soul of the poor one who wrote it.” _Rath_ is good fortune, and _li_ is colour, referring probably to the coloured portions of the writing, and _Truaghan_ is the Gaelic synonym of the “miserus” or “miserimus” of the old Celtic church. Mr Whitley Stokes, as quoted by Dr Stuart, says (p. lx), “In point of language this is identical with the oldest Irish glosses in Zeuss’ _Grammatica Celtica_.” THE ALBANIC DUAN.