diff --git a/contrib/dblink/dblink.c b/contrib/dblink/dblink.c
index 20e7662e28..a8e9c5ab50 100644
--- a/contrib/dblink/dblink.c
+++ b/contrib/dblink/dblink.c
@@ -327,10 +327,8 @@ dblink_fetch(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 			tupdesc = TypeGetTupleDesc(functypeid, NIL);
 		else if (functyptype == 'p' && functypeid == RECORDOID)
 			tupdesc = pgresultGetTupleDesc(res);
-		else if (functyptype == 'b')
-			elog(ERROR, "dblink_fetch: invalid kind of return type specified for function");
 		else
-			elog(ERROR, "dblink_fetch: unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+			elog(ERROR, "dblink_fetch: return type must be a row type");
 
 		/* store needed metadata for subsequent calls */
 		slot = TupleDescGetSlot(tupdesc);
@@ -506,10 +504,8 @@ dblink_record(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 				tupdesc = TypeGetTupleDesc(functypeid, NIL);
 			else if (functyptype == 'p' && functypeid == RECORDOID)
 				tupdesc = pgresultGetTupleDesc(res);
-			else if (functyptype == 'b')
-				elog(ERROR, "Invalid kind of return type specified for function");
 			else
-				elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+				elog(ERROR, "dblink: return type must be a row type");
 		}
 
 		/* store needed metadata for subsequent calls */
diff --git a/contrib/tablefunc/tablefunc.c b/contrib/tablefunc/tablefunc.c
index 984f31dc28..68e001fcdf 100644
--- a/contrib/tablefunc/tablefunc.c
+++ b/contrib/tablefunc/tablefunc.c
@@ -445,10 +445,8 @@ crosstab(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 				tupdesc = make_crosstab_tupledesc(spi_tupdesc, num_categories);
 			}
 		}
-		else if (functyptype == 'b')
-			elog(ERROR, "Invalid kind of return type specified for function");
 		else
-			elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+			elog(ERROR, "crosstab: return type must be a row type");
 
 		/*
 		 * Check that return tupdesc is compatible with the one we got
diff --git a/src/backend/access/common/tupdesc.c b/src/backend/access/common/tupdesc.c
index b6c28675a9..3bd15bd1fb 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/common/tupdesc.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/common/tupdesc.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/access/common/tupdesc.c,v 1.94 2002/11/13 00:39:46 momjian Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/access/common/tupdesc.c,v 1.95 2003/06/15 17:59:10 tgl Exp $
  *
  * NOTES
  *	  some of the executor utility code such as "ExecTypeFromTL" should be
@@ -697,7 +697,10 @@ TypeGetTupleDesc(Oid typeoid, List *colaliases)
 	else if (functyptype == 'p' && typeoid == RECORDOID)
 		elog(ERROR, "Unable to determine tuple description for function returning \"record\"");
 	else
-		elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+	{
+		/* crummy error message, but parser should have caught this */
+		elog(ERROR, "function in FROM has unsupported return type");
+	}
 
 	return tupdesc;
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/catalog/pg_proc.c b/src/backend/catalog/pg_proc.c
index 4c9b2151d6..48b90e56ef 100644
--- a/src/backend/catalog/pg_proc.c
+++ b/src/backend/catalog/pg_proc.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/catalog/pg_proc.c,v 1.96 2003/04/08 23:20:00 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/catalog/pg_proc.c,v 1.97 2003/06/15 17:59:10 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -483,7 +483,8 @@ checkretval(Oid rettype, char fn_typtype, List *queryTreeList)
 		 */
 	}
 	else
-		elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+		elog(ERROR, "return type %s is not supported for SQL functions",
+			 format_type_be(rettype));
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/backend/executor/nodeFunctionscan.c b/src/backend/executor/nodeFunctionscan.c
index cb30717893..282993ee4e 100644
--- a/src/backend/executor/nodeFunctionscan.c
+++ b/src/backend/executor/nodeFunctionscan.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/executor/nodeFunctionscan.c,v 1.17 2003/01/12 22:01:38 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/executor/nodeFunctionscan.c,v 1.18 2003/06/15 17:59:10 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -231,7 +231,10 @@ ExecInitFunctionScan(FunctionScan *node, EState *estate)
 		tupdesc = BuildDescForRelation(rte->coldeflist);
 	}
 	else
-		elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+	{
+		/* crummy error message, but parser should have caught this */
+		elog(ERROR, "function in FROM has unsupported return type");
+	}
 
 	scanstate->tupdesc = tupdesc;
 	ExecSetSlotDescriptor(scanstate->ss.ss_ScanTupleSlot,
diff --git a/src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c b/src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c
index 59a362726d..6ab9935630 100644
--- a/src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c
+++ b/src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c,v 1.82 2003/06/11 22:13:22 momjian Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c,v 1.83 2003/06/15 17:59:10 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -992,7 +992,7 @@ addRangeTableEntryForFunction(ParseState *pstate,
 		}
 	}
 	else
-		elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function %s",
+		elog(ERROR, "function %s() in FROM has unsupported return type",
 			 funcname);
 
 	/*----------
@@ -1382,7 +1382,7 @@ expandRTE(ParseState *pstate, RangeTblEntry *rte,
 					}
 				}
 				else
-					elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+					elog(ERROR, "function in FROM has unsupported return type");
 			}
 			break;
 		case RTE_JOIN:
@@ -1636,7 +1636,7 @@ get_rte_attribute_type(RangeTblEntry *rte, AttrNumber attnum,
 					*vartypmod = -1;
 				}
 				else
-					elog(ERROR, "Unknown kind of return type specified for function");
+					elog(ERROR, "function in FROM has unsupported return type");
 			}
 			break;
 		case RTE_JOIN: