diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
index 81c1560f18bd4..c5779dde499c8 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -82,17 +82,17 @@ pub fn maybe_find_item(item_id: int, items: ebml::Doc) -> Option<ebml::Doc> {
 }
 
 fn find_item(item_id: int, items: ebml::Doc) -> ebml::Doc {
-    return maybe_find_item(item_id, items).get();
+    match maybe_find_item(item_id, items) {
+       None => fail!("lookup_item: id not found: %d", item_id),
+       Some(d) => d
+    }
 }
 
 // Looks up an item in the given metadata and returns an ebml doc pointing
 // to the item data.
 fn lookup_item(item_id: int, data: @~[u8]) -> ebml::Doc {
     let items = reader::get_doc(reader::Doc(data), tag_items);
-    match maybe_find_item(item_id, items) {
-       None => fail!("lookup_item: id not found: %d", item_id),
-       Some(d) => d
-    }
+    find_item(item_id, items)
 }
 
 #[deriving(Eq)]
diff --git a/src/librustc/middle/ty.rs b/src/librustc/middle/ty.rs
index 7746c469f23af..267eccbc39787 100644
--- a/src/librustc/middle/ty.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/middle/ty.rs
@@ -2316,59 +2316,59 @@ pub fn is_instantiable(cx: ctxt, r_ty: t) -> bool {
                ::util::ppaux::ty_to_str(cx, ty));
 
         let r = match get(ty).sty {
-          ty_nil |
-          ty_bot |
-          ty_bool |
-          ty_int(_) |
-          ty_uint(_) |
-          ty_float(_) |
-          ty_estr(_) |
-          ty_bare_fn(_) |
-          ty_closure(_) |
-          ty_infer(_) |
-          ty_err |
-          ty_param(_) |
-          ty_self(_) |
-          ty_type |
-          ty_opaque_box |
-          ty_opaque_closure_ptr(_) |
-          ty_evec(_, _) |
-          ty_unboxed_vec(_) => {
-            false
-          }
-          ty_box(ref mt) |
-          ty_uniq(ref mt) |
-          ty_rptr(_, ref mt) => {
-            return type_requires(cx, seen, r_ty, mt.ty);
-          }
+            ty_nil |
+            ty_bot |
+            ty_bool |
+            ty_int(_) |
+            ty_uint(_) |
+            ty_float(_) |
+            ty_estr(_) |
+            ty_bare_fn(_) |
+            ty_closure(_) |
+            ty_infer(_) |
+            ty_err |
+            ty_param(_) |
+            ty_self(_) |
+            ty_type |
+            ty_opaque_box |
+            ty_opaque_closure_ptr(_) |
+            ty_evec(_, _) |
+            ty_unboxed_vec(_) => {
+                false
+            }
+            ty_box(ref mt) |
+            ty_uniq(ref mt) |
+            ty_rptr(_, ref mt) => {
+                type_requires(cx, seen, r_ty, mt.ty)
+            }
 
-          ty_ptr(*) => {
-            false           // unsafe ptrs can always be NULL
-          }
+            ty_ptr(*) => {
+                false           // unsafe ptrs can always be NULL
+            }
 
-          ty_trait(_, _, _, _) => {
-            false
-          }
+            ty_trait(_, _, _, _) => {
+                false
+            }
 
-          ty_struct(ref did, _) if vec::contains(*seen, did) => {
-            false
-          }
+            ty_struct(ref did, _) if vec::contains(*seen, did) => {
+                false
+            }
 
-          ty_struct(did, ref substs) => {
-              seen.push(did);
-              let fields = struct_fields(cx, did, substs);
-              let r = fields.iter().any(|f| type_requires(cx, seen, r_ty, f.mt.ty));
-              seen.pop();
-            r
-          }
+            ty_struct(did, ref substs) => {
+                seen.push(did);
+                let fields = struct_fields(cx, did, substs);
+                let r = fields.iter().any(|f| type_requires(cx, seen, r_ty, f.mt.ty));
+                seen.pop();
+                r
+            }
 
-          ty_tup(ref ts) => {
-            ts.any(|t| type_requires(cx, seen, r_ty, *t))
-          }
+            ty_tup(ref ts) => {
+                ts.any(|t| type_requires(cx, seen, r_ty, *t))
+            }
 
-          ty_enum(ref did, _) if vec::contains(*seen, did) => {
-            false
-          }
+            ty_enum(ref did, _) if vec::contains(*seen, did) => {
+                false
+            }
 
             ty_enum(did, ref substs) => {
                 seen.push(did);
@@ -2392,8 +2392,8 @@ pub fn is_instantiable(cx: ctxt, r_ty: t) -> bool {
         return r;
     }
 
-    let seen = @mut ~[];
-    !subtypes_require(cx, seen, r_ty, r_ty)
+    let mut seen = ~[];
+    !subtypes_require(cx, &mut seen, r_ty, r_ty)
 }
 
 pub fn type_structurally_contains(cx: ctxt,
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/parse/lexer.rs b/src/libsyntax/parse/lexer.rs
index 002a6caf85c5f..474e93ed11a95 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/parse/lexer.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/parse/lexer.rs
@@ -772,7 +772,11 @@ fn next_token_inner(rdr: @mut StringReader) -> token::Token {
       '/' => { return binop(rdr, token::SLASH); }
       '^' => { return binop(rdr, token::CARET); }
       '%' => { return binop(rdr, token::PERCENT); }
-      c => { rdr.fatal(fmt!("unknown start of token: %d", c as int)); }
+      c => {
+          // So the error span points to the unrecognized character
+          rdr.peek_span = codemap::mk_sp(rdr.last_pos, rdr.pos);
+          rdr.fatal(fmt!("unknown start of token: %d", c as int));
+      }
     }
 }