--- java/org/apache/catalina/loader/WebappClassLoader.java	(revision 1201431)
+++ java/org/apache/catalina/loader/WebappClassLoader.java	(working copy)
@@ -86,14 +86,16 @@ 
  * compatible with a normal <code>URLClassLoader</code>, although its internal
  * behavior may be completely different.
  * <p>
- * <strong>IMPLEMENTATION NOTE</strong> - This class loader faithfully follows
+ * <strong>IMPLEMENTATION NOTE</strong> - By default, this class loader faithfully follows
  * the delegation model recommended in the specification. The system class
  * loader will be queried first, then the local repositories, and only then
  * delegation to the parent class loader will occur. This allows the web
  * application to override any shared class except the classes from J2SE.
  * Special handling is provided from the JAXP XML parser interfaces, the JNDI
  * interfaces, and the classes from the servlet API, which are never loaded
- * from the webapp repository.
+ * from the webapp repository. The <code>delegate</code> property
+ * allows an application to modify this behavior move the parent class loader
+ * ahead of the local repository.
  * <p>
  * <strong>IMPLEMENTATION NOTE</strong> - Due to limitations in Jasper
  * compilation technology, any repository which contains classes from
@@ -292,7 +294,8 @@ 
      * usual Java2 delegation model)?  If set to <code>false</code>,
      * this class loader will search its own repositories first, and
      * delegate to the parent only if the class or resource is not
-     * found locally.
+     * found locally. Note that the default, <code>false</code>, is 
+     * the behavior called for by the servlet specification.
      */
     protected boolean delegate = false;
 
@@ -536,6 +539,14 @@ 
 
     /**
      * Set the "delegate first" flag for this class loader.
+     * If this flag is true, this class loader delegates
+     * to the parent class loader
+     * <strong>before</strong> searching its own repositories, as
+     * in an ordinary (non-servlet) chain of of Java class loaders.
+     * If set to <code>false</code>,
+     * this class loader will search its own repositories first, and
+     * delegate to the parent only if the class or resource is not
+     * found locally, as per the servlet specification. 
      *
      * @param delegate The new "delegate first" flag
      */