diff --git a/hawk/lib/arr.c b/hawk/lib/arr.c
index 10fbf65d..f7ff3163 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/arr.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/arr.c
@@ -145,13 +145,13 @@ const hawk_arr_style_t* hawk_get_arr_style (hawk_arr_style_kind_t kind)
 	return &style[kind];
 }
 
-
 int hawk_arr_init (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_gem_t* gem, hawk_oow_t capa)
 {
 	HAWK_MEMSET (arr, 0, HAWK_SIZEOF(*arr));
 
 	arr->gem = gem;
 	arr->size = 0;
+	arr->tally = 0;
 	arr->capa = 0;
 	arr->slot = HAWK_NULL;
 	arr->scale = 1;
@@ -170,6 +170,8 @@ void hawk_arr_fini (hawk_arr_t* arr)
 		hawk_gem_freemem (arr->gem, arr->slot);
 		arr->slot = HAWK_NULL;
 		arr->capa = 0;
+		arr->size = 0 ;
+		arr->tally = 0;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -217,7 +219,7 @@ hawk_arr_t* hawk_arr_setcapa (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t capa)
 
 	if (capa == arr->capa) return arr;
 
-	if (arr->size > capa) 
+	if (capa < arr->size)
 	{
 		/* to trigger freeers on the items truncated */
 		hawk_arr_delete (arr, capa, arr->size - capa);
@@ -238,6 +240,9 @@ hawk_arr_t* hawk_arr_setcapa (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t capa)
 		}
 
 		tmp = HAWK_NULL;
+
+		HAWK_ASSERT (arr->size == 0);
+		HAWK_ASSERT (arr->tally == 0);
 	}
 
 	arr->slot = tmp;
@@ -359,6 +364,7 @@ hawk_oow_t hawk_arr_insert (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t pos, void* dptr, hawk_oo
 
 	if (pos > arr->size) arr->size = pos + 1;
 	else arr->size++;
+	arr->tally++;
 
 	return pos;
 }
@@ -379,6 +385,7 @@ hawk_oow_t hawk_arr_update (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t pos, void* dptr, hawk_oo
 		/* no previous data */
 		arr->slot[pos] = alloc_slot(arr, dptr, dlen);
 		if (arr->slot[pos] == HAWK_NULL) return HAWK_ARR_NIL;
+		arr->tally++;
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -415,20 +422,20 @@ hawk_oow_t hawk_arr_delete (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t index, hawk_oow_t count)
 	for (i = index; i < index + count; i++)
 	{
 		slot_t* c = arr->slot[i];
-
-		if (c != HAWK_NULL)
+		if (c)
 		{
 			if (arr->style->freeer) arr->style->freeer (arr, DPTR(c), DLEN(c));
 			hawk_gem_freemem (arr->gem, c);
 			arr->slot[i] = HAWK_NULL;
+			arr->tally--;
 		}
 	}
 
 	for (i = index + count; i < arr->size; i++)
 	{
-		arr->slot[i-count] = arr->slot[i];
+		arr->slot[i - count] = arr->slot[i];
 	}
-	arr->slot[arr->size-1] = HAWK_NULL;
+	arr->slot[arr->size - 1] = HAWK_NULL;
 
 	arr->size -= count;
 	return count;
@@ -446,12 +453,12 @@ hawk_oow_t hawk_arr_uplete (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t index, hawk_oow_t count)
 	for (i = index; i < index + count; i++)
 	{
 		slot_t* c = arr->slot[i];
-
-		if (c != HAWK_NULL)
+		if (c)
 		{
 			if (arr->style->freeer) arr->style->freeer (arr, DPTR(c), DLEN(c));
 			hawk_gem_freemem (arr->gem, c);
 			arr->slot[i] = HAWK_NULL;
+			arr->tally--;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -474,6 +481,7 @@ void hawk_arr_clear (hawk_arr_t* arr)
 	}
 
 	arr->size = 0;
+	arr->tally = 0;
 }
 
 hawk_oow_t hawk_arr_walk (hawk_arr_t* arr, walker_t walker, void* ctx)
@@ -701,6 +709,7 @@ void hawk_arr_deleteheap (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t index)
 
 	/* empty the last slot */
 	arr->slot[arr->size] = HAWK_NULL;
+	arr->tally--;
 }
 
 hawk_oow_t hawk_arr_updateheap (hawk_arr_t* arr, hawk_oow_t index, void* dptr, hawk_oow_t dlen)
diff --git a/hawk/lib/fnc.c b/hawk/lib/fnc.c
index 7afe03f7..d9ebdb3c 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/fnc.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/fnc.c
@@ -697,8 +697,8 @@ int hawk_fnc_length (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
 				len = HAWK_MAP_SIZE(((hawk_val_map_t*)v)->map);
 				break;
 
-			case HAWK_VAL_ARR:
-				len = HAWK_ARR_SIZE(((hawk_val_arr_t*)v)->arr);
+			case HAWK_VAL_ARR: /* returns the number of set items instead of the last index + 1 */
+				len = HAWK_ARR_TALLY(((hawk_val_arr_t*)v)->arr);
 				break;
 
 			case HAWK_VAL_STR:
diff --git a/hawk/lib/hawk-arr.h b/hawk/lib/hawk-arr.h
index da0a9944..a9bfe962 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/hawk-arr.h
+++ b/hawk/lib/hawk-arr.h
@@ -56,8 +56,9 @@ typedef enum   hawk_arr_walk_t hawk_arr_walk_t;
 
 #define HAWK_ARR_NIL ((hawk_oow_t)-1)
 
-#define HAWK_ARR_SIZE(arr)        (*(const hawk_oow_t*)&(arr)->size)
-#define HAWK_ARR_CAPA(arr)        (*(const hawk_oow_t*)&(arr)->capa)
+#define HAWK_ARR_SIZE(arr)        ((arr)->size)
+#define HAWK_ARR_CAPA(arr)        ((arr)->capa)
+#define HAWK_ARR_TALLY(arr)       ((arr)->tally)
 
 #define HAWK_ARR_SLOT(arr,index)  ((arr)->slot[index])
 #define HAWK_ARR_DPTL(arr,index)  ((const hawk_ptl_t*)&(arr)->slot[index]->val)
@@ -179,6 +180,7 @@ struct hawk_arr_t
 	hawk_oow_t        heap_pos_offset; /* offset in the data element where position 
 	                                   * is stored when heap operation is performed. */
 	hawk_oow_t        size;   /* number of items */
+	hawk_oow_t        tally;  /* number of items set */
 	hawk_oow_t        capa;   /* capacity */
 	hawk_arr_slot_t** slot;
 };
diff --git a/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c b/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
index 478f5626..403ac19e 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
@@ -233,6 +233,44 @@ static int fnc_array (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int fnc_array_size (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
+{
+	hawk_val_t* a0;
+	hawk_oow_t iv;
+
+	a0 = hawk_rtx_getarg(rtx, 0);
+
+	if (HAWK_RTX_GETVALTYPE(rtx, a0) != HAWK_VAL_ARR)
+	{
+		hawk_rtx_seterrnum (rtx, HAWK_NULL, HAWK_ENOTARR);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	iv = HAWK_ARR_SIZE(((hawk_val_arr_t*)a0)->arr);
+	HAWK_ASSERT  (iv >= 0 && iv <= HAWK_QUICKINT_MAX);
+	hawk_rtx_setretval (rtx, hawk_rtx_makeintval(rtx, iv));
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int fnc_array_tally (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
+{
+	hawk_val_t* a0;
+	hawk_oow_t iv;
+
+	a0 = hawk_rtx_getarg(rtx, 0);
+
+	if (HAWK_RTX_GETVALTYPE(rtx, a0) != HAWK_VAL_ARR)
+	{
+		hawk_rtx_seterrnum (rtx, HAWK_NULL, HAWK_ENOTARR);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	iv = HAWK_ARR_TALLY(((hawk_val_arr_t*)a0)->arr);
+	HAWK_ASSERT  (iv >= 0 && iv <= HAWK_QUICKINT_MAX);
+	hawk_rtx_setretval (rtx, hawk_rtx_makeintval(rtx, iv));
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int fnc_map (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
 {
 	hawk_val_t* tmp;
@@ -327,6 +365,9 @@ static fnctab_t fnctab[] =
 {
 	/* keep this table sorted for binary search in query(). */
 	{ HAWK_T("array"),            { { 0, A_MAX                },  fnc_array,                 0 } },
+	{ HAWK_T("array_size"),       { { 1, 1                    },  fnc_array_size,            0 } },
+	{ HAWK_T("array_tally"),      { { 1, 1                    },  fnc_array_tally,           0 } },
+
 	{ HAWK_T("call"),             { { 1, A_MAX, HAWK_T("vR")  },  fnc_call,                  0 } },
 	{ HAWK_T("function_exists"),  { { 1, 1,     HAWK_NULL     },  fnc_function_exists,       0 } },
 	{ HAWK_T("gc"),               { { 0, 1,     HAWK_NULL     },  fnc_gc,                    0 } },
diff --git a/hawk/t/h-001.hawk b/hawk/t/h-001.hawk
index d0deebe0..a254cf67 100644
--- a/hawk/t/h-001.hawk
+++ b/hawk/t/h-001.hawk
@@ -94,13 +94,48 @@ function main()
 		ensure (a[0][40], "bye", SCRIPTNAME);
 		call_by_ref_3(a[0][40]);
 		ensure (a[0][40], "hello world", SCRIPTNAME);
-		ensure (length(a[0]), 41);
+		ensure (length(a[0]), 2, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a[0]), 41, SCRIPTNAME);
 		delete a[0][40];
-		ensure (length(a[0]), 41);
+		ensure (length(a[0]), 1, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a[0]), 41, SCRIPTNAME);
 		ensure (a[0][0], "farewell", SCRIPTNAME);
 		ensure (a[0][40], nil, SCRIPTNAME);
-		#hawk::splice (a[0], 40, 1);
-		#ensure (length(a[0]), 40);
+		#hawk::splice (a[0], 40, 1, SCRIPTNAME);
+		#ensure (length(a[0]), 40, SCRIPTNAME);
+	}
+
+
+	{
+		@local a, i;
+
+		a = hawk::array(); 
+		ensure (length(a), 0, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 0, SCRIPTNAME);
+		
+		for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) a[i*i]=i; 
+		ensure (length(a), 10, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 82, SCRIPTNAME);
+
+		delete a[0];
+		ensure (length(a), 9, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 82, SCRIPTNAME);
+
+		delete a[81]; 
+		ensure (length(a), 8, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 82, SCRIPTNAME);
+
+		delete a[36]; 
+		ensure (length(a), 7, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 82, SCRIPTNAME);
+
+		for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) delete a[i*i]; 
+		ensure (length(a), 0, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 82, SCRIPTNAME);
+
+		delete a;
+		ensure (length(a), 0, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (hawk::array_size(a), 0, SCRIPTNAME);
 	}
 
 	print "SUCCESS"