diff --git a/queue.cabal b/queue.cabal
--- a/queue.cabal
+++ b/queue.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                   queue
-version:                0.1.1.2
+version:                0.1.1.3
 stability:              provisional
 license:                BSD3
 license-file:           LICENSE
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
   exposed-modules:      Data.Queue
                         Data.Queue.Classes
                         Data.Queue.Instances
-  build-depends:        base
+  build-depends:        base >= 3
   
   extensions:           CPP
   
diff --git a/src/Data/Queue.hs b/src/Data/Queue.hs
--- a/src/Data/Queue.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Queue.hs
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@
 import Data.Queue.Classes
 import Data.Queue.Instances
 
+-- |Construct a new FIFO of a type suitable for carrying the supplied thing.
+--  Does not actually do anything with the thing supplied.
+newDefaultFifoFor :: (DefaultFifo q m a, NewFifo q m) => a -> m q
+newDefaultFifoFor _thing = newFifo
+
+
 -- |'RQueue' : read-only newtype wrapper for arbitrary queues
 newtype RQueue q = RQ q
 mkRQueue :: q -> RQueue q
diff --git a/src/Data/Queue/Classes.hs b/src/Data/Queue/Classes.hs
--- a/src/Data/Queue/Classes.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Queue/Classes.hs
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@
 
 module Data.Queue.Classes where
 
--- |Construct a new FIFO queue.  I don't know whether or not I really want
---  the 'a' parameter.  It might go away sometime, so beware ;-).
+-- |Construct a new FIFO queue.
 class Monad m => NewFifo q m where
         newFifo :: m q
 
@@ -19,11 +18,6 @@
 --  a more deliberate choice to be made.
 class Monad m => DefaultFifo q m a | q -> a, m a -> q
 
--- |Construct a new FIFO of a type suitable for carrying the supplied thing.
---  Does not actually do anything with the thing supplied.
-newDefaultFifoFor :: (DefaultFifo q m a, NewFifo q m) => a -> m q
-newDefaultFifoFor _thing = newFifo
-
 class Monad m => Enqueue q m a | q -> a where
         -- |Put an item into a queue.  May block while trying to do so.
         --  No constraint is placed on the behavior of the queue except that
@@ -36,6 +30,10 @@
         --  the queue "really ought to" come out before 'dequeue' returns
         --  'Nothing'.
         dequeue :: q -> m (Maybe a)
+        dequeueBatch :: q -> m [a]
+        dequeueBatch q = do
+                x <- dequeue q
+                return $ case x of { Just x -> [x]; Nothing -> [] }
 
 class Monad m => DequeueWhere q m a | q -> a where
         -- |Pull an item matching the given predicate out of a queue.
diff --git a/src/Data/Queue/Instances/STM.hs b/src/Data/Queue/Instances/STM.hs
--- a/src/Data/Queue/Instances/STM.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Queue/Instances/STM.hs
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@
                 xs <- dequeueAll ch
                 mapM_ (enqueue ch) xs
                 return xs
+        
+        peekQueueTaking  0    q = return []
+        peekQueueTaking (n+1) q = do
+            x <- dequeue q
+            case x of
+                Nothing -> return []
+                Just x  -> do
+                    xs <- peekQueueTaking n q
+                    unGetTChan q x
+                    return (x:xs)
 
 instance DefaultFifo (TChan a) IO a
 instance NewFifo (TChan a) IO where