diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Javac.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Javac.java
index 383d0cc82..2e3c515e2 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Javac.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Javac.java
@@ -387,32 +387,29 @@ public class Javac extends MatchingTask {
         // add our classpath to the mix
 
         if (compileClasspath != null) {
-            addExistingToClasspath(classpath,compileClasspath);
+            classpath.addExisting(compileClasspath);
         }
         addReferencesToPath(classpathReferences, classpath);
 
         // add the system classpath
 
-        addExistingToClasspath(classpath, Path.systemClasspath);
+        classpath.addExisting(Path.systemClasspath);
         if (addRuntime) {
             if (Project.getJavaVersion() == Project.JAVA_1_1) {
-                addExistingToClasspath(classpath,
-                                       new Path(null,
+                classpath.addExisting(new Path(null,
                                                 System.getProperty("java.home")
                                                 + File.separator + "lib"
                                                 + File.separator 
                                                 + "classes.zip"));
             } else {
                 // JDK > 1.1 seems to set java.home to the JRE directory.
-                addExistingToClasspath(classpath,
-                                       new Path(null,
+                classpath.addExisting(new Path(null,
                                                 System.getProperty("java.home")
                                                 + File.separator + "lib"
                                                 + File.separator + "rt.jar"));
                 // Just keep the old version as well and let addExistingToPath
                 // sort it out.
-                addExistingToClasspath(classpath,
-                                       new Path(null,
+                classpath.addExisting(new Path(null,
                                                 System.getProperty("java.home")
                                                 + File.separator +"jre"
                                                 + File.separator + "lib"
@@ -423,32 +420,6 @@ public class Javac extends MatchingTask {
         return classpath;
     }
 
-
-     /**
-     * Takes a Path, and adds each element of
-     * another Path to a new classpath, if the components exist.
-     * Components that don't exist, aren't added.
-     * We do this, because jikes issues warnings for non-existant
-     * files/dirs in his classpath, and these warnings are pretty
-     * annoying.
-     * @param target - target classpath
-     * @param source - source classpath
-     * to get file objects.
-     */
-    private void addExistingToClasspath(Path target, Path source) {
-        String[] list = source.list();
-        for (int i=0; i<list.length; i++) {
-            File f = project.resolveFile(list[i]);
-
-            if (f.exists()) {
-                target.setLocation(f);
-           } else {
-               log("Dropping from classpath: "+
-                   f.getAbsolutePath(), Project.MSG_VERBOSE);
-           }
-        }
-    }
-
     /**
      * Peforms a compile using the classic compiler that shipped with
      * JDK 1.1 and 1.2.
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Path.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Path.java
index 7ee1452e4..565abfdff 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Path.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/Path.java
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ public class Path implements Cloneable {
         createPathElement().setPath(path);
     }
 
-    public Path(Project p) {
+    public Path(Project project) {
         this.project = project;
         elements = new Vector();
     }
@@ -190,6 +190,29 @@ public class Path implements Cloneable {
         }
     }
 
+     /**
+     * Adds the components on the given path which exist to this
+     * Path. Components that don't exist, aren't added.
+     *
+     * @param source - source path whose components are examined for existence
+     */
+    public void addExisting(Path source) {
+        String[] list = source.list();
+        for (int i=0; i<list.length; i++) {
+            File f = null;
+            if (project != null) {
+                f = project.resolveFile(list[i]);
+            }
+            else {
+                f = new File(list[i]);
+            }
+
+            if (f.exists()) {
+                setLocation(f);
+            } 
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns all path elements defined by this and netsed path objects.
      * @return list of path elements.