diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/Validate.java b/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/Validate.java
index da6662486..62ed3b482 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/Validate.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/Validate.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
  * @author Gary Gregory
  * @author Norm Deane
  * @since 2.0
- * @version $Id: Validate.java,v 1.12 2004/06/01 21:25:35 scolebourne Exp $
+ * @version $Id: Validate.java,v 1.13 2004/10/08 21:44:41 scolebourne Exp $
  */
 public class Validate {
     // Validate has no dependencies on other classes in Commons Lang at present
@@ -492,52 +492,54 @@ public static void noNullElements(Collection collection) {
             }
         }
     }
-    
+
     /**
      * <p>Validate an argument, throwing <code>IllegalArgumentException</code>
      * if the argument collection  is <code>null</code> or has elements that
-     * are not of type <code>clazz</code>.</p>
+     * are not of type <code>clazz</code> or a subclass.</p>
      *
      * <pre>
-     * Validate.allElementsOfClass(collection, String.class, "Collection has invalid elements");
+     * Validate.allElementsOfType(collection, String.class, "Collection has invalid elements");
      * </pre>
      *
-     * @param collection  the collection to check
-     * @param clazz  the <code>Class</code> which the collection's elements are expected to be
+     * @param collection  the collection to check, not null
+     * @param clazz  the <code>Class</code> which the collection's elements are expected to be, not null
      * @param message  the exception message if the <code>Collection</code> has elements not of type <code>clazz</code>
      * @since 2.1
      */
-    public static void allElementsOfClass(Collection collection, Class clazz, String message) {
+    public static void allElementsOfType(Collection collection, Class clazz, String message) {
     	Validate.notNull(collection);
+        Validate.notNull(clazz);
     	for (Iterator it = collection.iterator(); it.hasNext(); ) {
-    		if ((it.next().getClass().equals(clazz)) == false) {
+    		if (clazz.isInstance(it.next()) == false) {
     			throw new IllegalArgumentException(message);
     		}
     	}
-    }   
-    
+    }
+
     /**
      * <p>Validate an argument, throwing <code>IllegalArgumentException</code>
      * if the argument collection  is <code>null</code> or has elements that are not of 
-     * type <code>clazz</code>.</p>
+     * type <code>clazz</code> or a subclass.</p>
      *
      * <pre>
-     * Validate.allElementsOfClass(collection, String.class);
+     * Validate.allElementsOfType(collection, String.class);
      * </pre>
      *
      * <p>The message in the exception is 'The validated collection contains an element not of type clazz at index: '.</p>
      * 
-     * @param collection  the collection to check
-     * @param clazz the <code>Class</code> which the collection's elements are expected to be
+     * @param collection  the collection to check, not null
+     * @param clazz the <code>Class</code> which the collection's elements are expected to be, not null
      * @since 2.1
      */
-    public static void allElementsOfClass(Collection collection, Class clazz) {
+    public static void allElementsOfType(Collection collection, Class clazz) {
     	Validate.notNull(collection);
+        Validate.notNull(clazz);
     	int i = 0;
     	for (Iterator it = collection.iterator(); it.hasNext(); i++) {
-    		if ((it.next().getClass().equals(clazz)) == false) {
+            if (clazz.isInstance(it.next()) == false) {
     			throw new IllegalArgumentException("The validated collection contains an element not of type "
-                    + (clazz == null ? "null" : clazz.getName()) + " at index: " + i);
+                    + clazz.getName() + " at index: " + i);
     		}
     	}
     }
diff --git a/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/ValidateTest.java b/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/ValidateTest.java
index b5a66a245..1f70e42c0 100644
--- a/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/ValidateTest.java
+++ b/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/ValidateTest.java
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
  *
  * @author Stephen Colebourne
  * @author Norm Deane
- * @version $Id: ValidateTest.java,v 1.5 2004/02/18 23:06:19 ggregory Exp $
+ * @version $Id: ValidateTest.java,v 1.6 2004/10/08 21:44:41 scolebourne Exp $
  */
 public class ValidateTest extends TestCase {
 
@@ -358,23 +358,41 @@ public void testNoNullElementsCollection2() {
     }
 
     //-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-    public void testAllElementsOfClass() {
+    public void testAllElementsOfType() {
     	List coll = new ArrayList();
     	coll.add("a");
     	coll.add("b");
-    	Validate.allElementsOfClass(coll, String.class, "MSG");
+    	Validate.allElementsOfType(coll, String.class, "MSG");
     	try {
-    		Validate.allElementsOfClass(coll, Integer.class, "MSG");
+    		Validate.allElementsOfType(coll, Integer.class, "MSG");
     		fail("Expecting IllegalArgumentException");
     	} catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
     		assertEquals("MSG", ex.getMessage());
     	}
     	coll.set(1, Boolean.FALSE);
     	try {
-    		Validate.allElementsOfClass(coll, String.class);
+    		Validate.allElementsOfType(coll, String.class);
     		fail("Expecting IllegalArgumentException");
     	} catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
     		assertEquals("The validated collection contains an element not of type java.lang.String at index: 1", ex.getMessage());
     	}
+        
+        coll = new ArrayList();
+        coll.add(new Integer(5));
+        coll.add(new Double(2.0d));
+        Validate.allElementsOfType(coll, Number.class, "MSG");
+        try {
+            Validate.allElementsOfType(coll, Integer.class, "MSG");
+            fail("Expecting IllegalArgumentException");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            assertEquals("MSG", ex.getMessage());
+        }
+        try {
+            Validate.allElementsOfType(coll, Double.class, "MSG");
+            fail("Expecting IllegalArgumentException");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+            assertEquals("MSG", ex.getMessage());
+        }
     }
+
 }