diff --git a/classpath/avian/Classes.java b/classpath/avian/Classes.java
index e5c3d9fa69..a50118e1b3 100644
--- a/classpath/avian/Classes.java
+++ b/classpath/avian/Classes.java
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ public class Classes {
     int index = 0;
 
     String spec = new String
-      (vmMethod.spec, 1, vmMethod.spec.length - 1);
+      (vmMethod.spec, 1, vmMethod.spec.length - 2);
 
     try {
       for (int i = 0; i < spec.length(); ++i) {
@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ public class Classes {
 
     return types;
   }
+
   public static int findField(VMClass vmClass, String name) {
     if (vmClass.fieldTable != null) {
       Classes.link(vmClass);
@@ -370,7 +371,7 @@ public class Classes {
     return new String(array, 0, array.length - 1);
   }
 
-  private static boolean match(Class[] a, Class[] b) {
+  public static boolean match(Class[] a, Class[] b) {
     if (a.length == b.length) {
       for (int i = 0; i < a.length; ++i) {
         if (! a[i].isAssignableFrom(b[i])) {
@@ -383,7 +384,7 @@ public class Classes {
     }
   }
 
-  private static int findMethod(VMClass vmClass, String name,
+  public static int findMethod(VMClass vmClass, String name,
                                 Class[] parameterTypes)
   {
     if (vmClass.methodTable != null) {
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Boolean.java b/classpath/java/lang/Boolean.java
index ddd3bec725..be8b57ddcb 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Boolean.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Boolean.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Boolean implements Comparable<Boolean> {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("Z");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("Z");
 
   public static final Boolean FALSE = new Boolean(false);
   public static final Boolean TRUE = new Boolean(true);
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Byte.java b/classpath/java/lang/Byte.java
index 1133d6ec03..460ff0a51f 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Byte.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Byte.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Byte extends Number implements Comparable<Byte> {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("B");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("B");
 
   private final byte value;
 
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Character.java b/classpath/java/lang/Character.java
index 3e7f1ed269..1cbeb1cea7 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Character.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Character.java
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ public final class Character implements Comparable<Character> {
   public static final int MIN_RADIX = 2;
   public static final int MAX_RADIX = 36;
 
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("C");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("C");
 
   private final char value;
 
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Class.java b/classpath/java/lang/Class.java
index a37fb96e59..baebcae4c9 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Class.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Class.java
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ public final class Class <T> implements Type, AnnotatedElement {
 
   public Field getField(String name) throws NoSuchFieldException {
     for (VMClass c = vmClass; c != null; c = c.super_) {
-      int index = findField(c, name);
+      int index = Classes.findField(c, name);
       if (index >= 0) {
         return new Field(vmClass.fieldTable[index]);
       }
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ public final class Class <T> implements Type, AnnotatedElement {
       throw new NoSuchMethodException(name);
     }
     for (VMClass c = vmClass; c != null; c = c.super_) {
-      int index = findMethod(c, name, parameterTypes);
+      int index = Classes.findMethod(c, name, parameterTypes);
       if (index >= 0) {
         return new Method(vmClass.methodTable[index]);
       }
@@ -231,11 +231,11 @@ public final class Class <T> implements Type, AnnotatedElement {
   public Constructor getConstructor(Class ... parameterTypes)
     throws NoSuchMethodException
   {
-    Method m = findMethod(vmClass, "<init>", parameterTypes);
-    if (m == null) {
+    int index = Classes.findMethod(vmClass, "<init>", parameterTypes);
+    if (index < 0) {
       throw new NoSuchMethodException();
     } else {
-      return new Constructor(m);
+      return new Constructor(new Method(vmClass.methodTable[index]));
     }
   }
 
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ public final class Class <T> implements Type, AnnotatedElement {
     Constructor[] constructors = getDeclaredConstructors();
 
     for (int i = 0; i < constructors.length; ++i) {
-      if (match(parameterTypes, constructors[i].getParameterTypes())) {
+      if (Classes.match(parameterTypes, constructors[i].getParameterTypes())) {
         c = constructors[i];
       }
     }
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Double.java b/classpath/java/lang/Double.java
index a58f9fcb39..8d145ce4d9 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Double.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Double.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Double extends Number {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("D");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("D");
 
   public static final double NEGATIVE_INFINITY = -1.0 / 0.0;
   public static final double POSITIVE_INFINITY =  1.0 / 0.0;
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Float.java b/classpath/java/lang/Float.java
index f04e728bac..652659f307 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Float.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Float.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Float extends Number {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("F");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("F");
   private static final int EXP_BIT_MASK = 0x7F800000;
   private static final int SIGNIF_BIT_MASK = 0x007FFFFF;
 
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Integer.java b/classpath/java/lang/Integer.java
index 9bd399f227..f5e4052904 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Integer.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Integer.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Integer extends Number implements Comparable<Integer> {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("I");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("I");
 
   public static final int MIN_VALUE = 0x80000000;
   public static final int MAX_VALUE = 0x7FFFFFFF;
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Long.java b/classpath/java/lang/Long.java
index 425e68383a..3023ad03de 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Long.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Long.java
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ public final class Long extends Number implements Comparable<Long> {
   public static final long MIN_VALUE = -9223372036854775808l;
   public static final long MAX_VALUE =  9223372036854775807l;
 
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("J");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("J");
 
   private final long value;
 
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Short.java b/classpath/java/lang/Short.java
index f218bb8cec..2158c8ebec 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Short.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Short.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Short extends Number implements Comparable<Short> {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("S");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("S");
   public static final short MAX_VALUE = 32767;
 
   private final short value;
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/String.java b/classpath/java/lang/String.java
index 24a893ad87..ff91fdbc78 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/String.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/String.java
@@ -127,6 +127,11 @@ public final class String
       } else {
         c = Utf8.decode((byte[])data, offset, length);
         if(c instanceof char[]) length = ((char[])c).length;
+        if (c == null) {
+          throw new RuntimeException
+            ("unable to parse \"" + new String(data, offset, length, false)
+             + "\"");
+        }
       }
       
       this.data = c;
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/Void.java b/classpath/java/lang/Void.java
index 89137eea57..55e28e2abf 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/Void.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/Void.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package java.lang;
 
 public final class Void {
-  public static final Class TYPE = Class.forCanonicalName("V");
+  public static final Class TYPE = avian.Classes.forCanonicalName("V");
 
   private Void() { }
 }
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Field.java b/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Field.java
index 8d76a6258f..f366341534 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Field.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Field.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class Field<T> extends AccessibleObject {
   }
 
   public Class getType() {
-    return Class.forCanonicalName
+    return Classes.forCanonicalName
       (vmField.class_.loader,
        new String(vmField.spec, 0, vmField.spec.length - 1, false));
   }
diff --git a/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Method.java b/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Method.java
index a572f3eb49..f06edf4c03 100644
--- a/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Method.java
+++ b/classpath/java/lang/reflect/Method.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ package java.lang.reflect;
 import avian.VMMethod;
 import avian.AnnotationInvocationHandler;
 import avian.SystemClassLoader;
+import avian.Classes;
 
 import java.lang.annotation.Annotation;
 
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ public class Method<T> extends AccessibleObject implements Member {
   public Class getReturnType() {
     for (int i = 0; i < vmMethod.spec.length - 1; ++i) {
       if (vmMethod.spec[i] == ')') {
-        return Class.forCanonicalName
+        return Classes.forCanonicalName
           (vmMethod.class_.loader,
            new String
            (vmMethod.spec, i + 1, vmMethod.spec.length - i - 2, false));
diff --git a/src/classpath-avian.cpp b/src/classpath-avian.cpp
index 58ab70e792..7e637c2581 100644
--- a/src/classpath-avian.cpp
+++ b/src/classpath-avian.cpp
@@ -127,6 +127,47 @@ class MyClasspath : public Classpath {
     // ignore
   }
 
+  virtual object
+  makeDirectByteBuffer(Thread* t, void* p, jlong capacity)
+  {
+    object c = resolveClass
+      (t, root(t, Machine::BootLoader), "java/nio/DirectByteBuffer");
+    PROTECT(t, c);
+
+    object instance = makeNew(t, c);
+    PROTECT(t, instance);
+
+    object constructor = resolveMethod(t, c, "<init>", "(JI)V");
+
+    t->m->processor->invoke
+      (t, constructor, instance, reinterpret_cast<int64_t>(p),
+       static_cast<int32_t>(capacity));
+
+    return instance;
+  }
+
+  virtual void*
+  getDirectBufferAddress(Thread* t, object b)
+  {
+    PROTECT(t, b);
+
+    object field = resolveField(t, objectClass(t, b), "address", "J");
+
+    return reinterpret_cast<void*>
+      (fieldAtOffset<int64_t>(b, fieldOffset(t, field)));
+  }
+
+  virtual int64_t
+  getDirectBufferCapacity(Thread* t, object b)
+  {
+    PROTECT(t, b);
+
+    object field = resolveField
+      (t, objectClass(t, b), "capacity", "I");
+
+    return fieldAtOffset<int32_t>(b, fieldOffset(t, field));
+  }
+
   virtual void
   dispose()
   {
@@ -698,3 +739,41 @@ Avian_avian_Classes_getVMClass
   return reinterpret_cast<int64_t>
     (objectClass(t, reinterpret_cast<object>(arguments[0])));
 }
+
+extern "C" JNIEXPORT int64_t JNICALL
+Avian_avian_Classes_makeMethod
+(Thread* t, object, uintptr_t* arguments)
+{
+  object method = arrayBody
+     (t, classMethodTable
+      (t, jclassVmClass(t, reinterpret_cast<object>(arguments[0]))),
+      arguments[1]);
+  PROTECT(t, method);
+
+  object c = resolveClass
+    (t, root(t, Machine::BootLoader), "java/lang/reflect/Method");
+  PROTECT(t, c);
+
+  object instance = makeNew(t, c);
+  PROTECT(t, instance);
+
+  object constructor = resolveMethod(t, c, "<init>", "(Lavian/VMMethod;)V");
+
+  t->m->processor->invoke(t, constructor, instance, method);
+
+  if (byteArrayBody(t, methodName(t, method), 0) == '<') {
+    method = instance;
+
+    c = resolveClass
+      (t, root(t, Machine::BootLoader), "java/lang/reflect/Constructor");
+
+    object instance = makeNew(t, c);
+
+    object constructor = resolveMethod
+      (t, c, "<init>", "(Ljava/lang/Method;)V");
+
+    t->m->processor->invoke(t, constructor, instance, method);    
+  }
+
+  return reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(instance);
+}