diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/io/HeterogenousStreamableList.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/io/HeterogenousStreamableList.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0642842e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/io/HeterogenousStreamableList.java
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+//
+// $Id: HeterogenousStreamableList.java,v 1.1 2002/02/11 22:43:18 shaper Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.presents.io;
+
+import java.io.DataInputStream;
+import java.io.DataOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+
+import com.samskivert.util.HashIntMap;
+
+/**
+ * A heterogenous streamable list is a wrapper around an {@link ArrayList}
+ * that knows how to efficiently stream {@link Streamable} objects of
+ * potentially heterogenous classes.  Accordingly, all objects inserted
+ * into the list must implement the {@link Streamable} interface.  The
+ * list ordering is properly maintained when sending data over the wire.
+ */
+public class HeterogenousStreamableList extends ArrayList
+    implements Streamable
+{
+    // documentation inherited from interface
+    public void writeTo (DataOutputStream out)
+        throws IOException
+    {
+        // create a table to map class names to class ids
+        HashMap cnames = new HashMap();
+
+        // write out the size of the list
+        int size = size();
+        out.writeInt(size);
+
+        // write out each of the list elements
+        int classId = 0;
+        for (int ii = 0; ii < size; ii++) {
+            // get the next streamable to write out
+            Object value = get(ii);
+            if (!(value instanceof Streamable)) {
+                throw new RuntimeException(
+                    "Requested to serialize invalid type [value=" + value +
+                    ", type=" + value.getClass().getName() + "]");
+            }
+            Streamable s = (Streamable)value;
+
+            // look up the class id
+            String cname = s.getClass().getName();
+            Integer cid = (Integer)cnames.get(cname);
+            if (cid == null) {
+                // store this class name to class id mapping
+                cid = new Integer(classId++);
+                cnames.put(cname, cid);
+                out.writeInt(cid.intValue());
+                out.writeUTF(cname);
+
+            } else {
+                // we need only write out the class id
+                out.writeInt(cid.intValue());
+            }
+
+            // write out the object itself
+            s.writeTo(out);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // documentation inherited from interface
+    public void readFrom (DataInputStream in)
+        throws IOException
+    {
+        // create a table to map class ids to class names
+        HashIntMap cids = new HashIntMap();
+
+        // read in the size of the list
+        int size = in.readInt();
+
+        // read in each of the list elements
+        for (int ii = 0; ii < size; ii++) {
+            // read the class id number
+            int cid = in.readInt();
+
+            // look up the class name
+            String cname = (String)cids.get(cid);
+            if (cname == null) {
+                // store this class id to class name mapping
+                cname = in.readUTF();
+                cids.put(cid, cname);
+            }
+
+            try {
+                // instantiate the streamable object
+                Class clazz = Class.forName(cname);
+                if (!Streamable.class.isAssignableFrom(clazz)) {
+                    throw new RuntimeException(
+                        "Requested to unserialize invalid type " +
+                        "[type=" + cname + "]");
+                }
+                Streamable s = (Streamable)clazz.newInstance();
+
+                // read in the object itself
+                s.readFrom(in);
+
+                // and add it to the list
+                add(s);
+
+            } catch (ClassNotFoundException cnfe) {
+                throw new IOException(
+                    "Unable to instantiate class [cname=" + cname +
+                    ", cnfe=" + cnfe + "]");
+
+            } catch (InstantiationException ie) {
+                throw new IOException(
+                    "Unable to instantiate class [cname=" + cname +
+                    ", ie=" + ie + "]");
+
+            } catch (IllegalAccessException iae) {
+                throw new IOException(
+                    "Unable to instantiate class [cname=" + cname +
+                    ", iae=" + iae + "]");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}