diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRef.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRef.scala
index 9cb2c14513..89b3dc7736 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRef.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRef.scala
@@ -410,17 +410,6 @@ trait ActorRef extends ActorRefShared with java.lang.Comparable[ActorRef] with S
    */
   def startLink(actorRef: ActorRef): ActorRef
 
-  /**
-   * Returns the mailbox size.
-   */
-  def mailboxSize = dispatcher.mailboxSize(this)
-
-  /**
-   * Akka Java API. <p/>
-   * Returns the mailbox size.
-   */
-  def getMailboxSize: Int = mailboxSize
-
   /**
    * Returns the supervisor, if there is one.
    */
@@ -952,7 +941,7 @@ class LocalActorRef private[akka] (private[this] val actorFactory: () ⇒ Actor,
 
   protected[akka] def checkReceiveTimeout() {
     cancelReceiveTimeout()
-    if (receiveTimeout.isDefined && dispatcher.mailboxSize(this) <= 0) { //Only reschedule if desired and there are currently no more messages to be processed
+    if (receiveTimeout.isDefined && dispatcher.mailboxIsEmpty(this)) { //Only reschedule if desired and there are currently no more messages to be processed
       _futureTimeout = Some(Scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, ReceiveTimeout, receiveTimeout.get, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
     }
   }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Dispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Dispatcher.scala
index bf02af5997..b78b99cabf 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Dispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Dispatcher.scala
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ class Dispatcher(
    */
   protected def getMailbox(receiver: ActorRef) = receiver.mailbox.asInstanceOf[MessageQueue with ExecutableMailbox]
 
+  def mailboxIsEmpty(actorRef: ActorRef): Boolean = getMailbox(actorRef).isEmpty
+
   override def mailboxSize(actorRef: ActorRef) = getMailbox(actorRef).size
 
   def createMailbox(actorRef: ActorRef): AnyRef = mailboxType match {
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala
index 0c87581e5e..40aae3f691 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/MessageHandling.scala
@@ -235,6 +235,11 @@ trait MessageDispatcher {
    */
   def mailboxSize(actorRef: ActorRef): Int
 
+  /**
+   * Returns the "current" emptiness status of the mailbox for the specified actor
+   */
+  def mailboxIsEmpty(actorRef: ActorRef): Boolean
+
   /**
    * Returns the amount of futures queued for execution
    */
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Pool.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Pool.scala
index c036616521..0c2c9d6378 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Pool.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Pool.scala
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ trait SmallestMailboxSelector {
     var take = if (partialFill) math.min(selectionCount, delegates.length) else selectionCount
 
     while (take > 0) {
-      set = delegates.sortWith(_.mailboxSize < _.mailboxSize).take(take) ++ set //Question, doesn't this risk selecting the same actor multiple times?
+      set = delegates.sortWith((a, b) ⇒ a.dispatcher.mailboxSize(a) < b.dispatcher.mailboxSize(b)).take(take) ++ set //Question, doesn't this risk selecting the same actor multiple times?
       take -= set.size
     }
 
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ trait BoundedCapacitor {
 trait MailboxPressureCapacitor {
   def pressureThreshold: Int
   def pressure(delegates: Seq[ActorRef]): Int =
-    delegates count { _.mailboxSize > pressureThreshold }
+    delegates count { a ⇒ a.dispatcher.mailboxSize(a) > pressureThreshold }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Routing.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Routing.scala
index 454760594a..e707e23f23 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Routing.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/routing/Routing.scala
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ case class SmallestMailboxFirstIterator(val items: Seq[ActorRef]) extends Infini
   def this(items: java.util.List[ActorRef]) = this(items.toList)
   def hasNext = items != Nil
 
-  def next = items.reduceLeft((a1, a2) ⇒ if (a1.mailboxSize < a2.mailboxSize) a1 else a2)
+  def next = items.reduceLeft((a1, a2) ⇒ if (a1.dispatcher.mailboxSize(a1) < a2.dispatcher.mailboxSize(a2)) a1 else a2)
 
   override def exists(f: ActorRef ⇒ Boolean): Boolean = items.exists(f)
 }
diff --git a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala
index 90d9bfda83..8e21641636 100644
--- a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/CallingThreadDispatcher.scala
@@ -135,6 +135,8 @@ class CallingThreadDispatcher(val warnings: Boolean = true) extends MessageDispa
 
   override def mailboxSize(actor: ActorRef) = getMailbox(actor).queue.size
 
+  def mailboxIsEmpty(actorRef: ActorRef): Boolean = getMailbox(actorRef).queue.isEmpty
+
   private[akka] override def dispatch(handle: MessageInvocation) {
     val mbox = getMailbox(handle.receiver)
     val queue = mbox.queue
@@ -210,6 +212,7 @@ class CallingThreadDispatcher(val warnings: Boolean = true) extends MessageDispa
 class NestingQueue {
   private var q = new LinkedList[MessageInvocation]()
   def size = q.size
+  def isEmpty = q.isEmpty
   def push(handle: MessageInvocation) { q.offer(handle) }
   def peek = q.peek
   def pop = q.poll