diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Project.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Project.java
index a00286cb8..39b13268d 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Project.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/Project.java
@@ -353,13 +353,14 @@ public class Project {
     }
 
     public Task createTask(String taskType) throws BuildException {
-        Class c = (Class)taskClassDefinitions.get(taskType);
-
-        // XXX
-        // check for nulls, other sanity
+        Class c = (Class) taskClassDefinitions.get(taskType);
 
+	if (c == null)
+	    throw new BuildException("Could not create task of type: "+taskType+
+				     " because I can't find it in the list of task"+
+				     " class definitions");
         try {
-            Object o=c.newInstance();
+            Object o = c.newInstance();
             Task task = null;
             if( o instanceof Task ) {
                task=(Task)o;
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java
index 231b2e506..4aec0ccfc 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java
@@ -64,8 +64,13 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.*;
 public class Taskdef extends Task {
     private String name;
     private String value;
-    
-    public void execute() throws BuildException {
+
+    //
+    // REVISIT: Is this the right thing to do?
+    //          I moved the body of execute() into init().
+    //                               - akv
+    //
+    public void init() throws BuildException {
 	try {
 	    if (name==null || value==null ) {
 		String msg = "name or class attributes of taskdef element "
@@ -74,7 +79,7 @@ public class Taskdef extends Task {
 	    }
 	    try {
 		Class taskClass = Class.forName(value);
-		project.addTaskDefinition(name, taskClass);
+			project.addTaskDefinition(name, taskClass);
 	    } catch (ClassNotFoundException cnfe) {
 		String msg = "taskdef class " + value +
 		    " cannot be found";
@@ -84,7 +89,7 @@ public class Taskdef extends Task {
 	    ex.printStackTrace();
 	}
     }
-
+    
     public void setName( String name) {
 	this.name = name;
     }