In the old genealogies each tribe is invariably traced to a common ancestor, from whom all the different branches or clans are supposed to have descended. Thus we have--1. _Descendants of Conn of the Hundred Battles_, including the Lords of the Isles, or Macdonalds, the Macdougals, the Macneills, the Maclachlans, the Macewens, the Maclaisrichs, and the Maceacherns; 2. _Descendants of Fearchar Fada Mac Feradaig_, comprehending the old mormaors of Moray, the Mackintoshes, the Macphersons, and the Macnauchtans; 3. _Descendants of Cormac Mac Oirbertaig_, namely, the old Earls of Ross, the Mackenzies, the Mathiesons, the Macgregors, the Mackinnons, the Macquarries, the Macnabs, and the Macduffies; 4. _Descendants of Fergus Leith Dearg_, the Macleods and the Campbells; and 5. _Descendants of Krycul_, the Macnicols. Whatever may be the merits or defects of this distribution, it is convenient for the purpose of classification. It affords the means of referring the different clans to their respective tribes, and thus avoiding an arbitrary arrangement; and it is further in accordance with the general views which have already been submitted to the reader respecting the original constitution of clanship. We shall not, however, adhere strictly to Mr Skene’s arrangement. FOOTNOTES: [114] _Scotland under her Early Kings_, Ap. D. [115] Gaelic, _clann_; Irish, _clann_, or _cland_; Manx, _cloan_, children, offspring, tribe. [116] Robertson’s _Early Kings_, i. 102, 103, 104. [117] _Highlanders_, i. 16. [118] _Highlanders_, p. 7, _et. seq._ [119] For details concerning the practical working of the clan system, in addition to what are given in this introduction, we refer the reader to chaps. xviii., xlii., xliii., xliv. of Part First. [120] We are indebted for much of what follows to Skene’s _Highlanders of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 153, _et seq._ [121] Letter xix., part of which has already been quoted in ch. xlii., but may with advantage be again introduced here. [122] _Description of the Western Islands._ London, 1703. [123] Skene’s _Highlanders of Scotland_, vol. ii. ch. 7. [124] Skene’s _Highlanders of Scotland_, vol. i. chap. 7, pp. 166, 167. [125] Skene’s _Highlanders of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 172, 173. [126] Logan’s _Scottish Gael_, i. 171. [127] According to Dr Macpherson, _Tighern_ is derived from two words, meaning “a man of land.” [128] _Dissertation_, pp. 165-6. [129] _Early Kings._ [130] Robertson’s _Early Kings_, i. 24. [131] Logan’s _Gael_, i. 188.