diff --git a/cake/libs/model/model.php b/cake/libs/model/model.php
index 82e66860e..eb25472fd 100644
--- a/cake/libs/model/model.php
+++ b/cake/libs/model/model.php
@@ -379,6 +379,15 @@ class Model extends Overloadable {
 			if ($this->actsAs !== null || $this->actsAs !== false) {
 				$merge[] = 'actsAs';
 			}
+			$parentClass = get_parent_class($this);
+			if (strtolower($parentClass) !== 'appmodel') {
+				$parentVars = get_class_vars($parentClass);
+				foreach ($merge as $var) {
+					if (isset($parentVars[$var]) && !empty($parentVars[$var])) {
+						$appVars[$var] = Set::merge($appVars[$var], $parentVars[$var]);
+					}
+				}
+			}
 
 			foreach ($merge as $var) {
 				if (isset($appVars[$var]) && !empty($appVars[$var]) && is_array($this->{$var})) {
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php
index 3f2210f1a..bade867f4 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/model.test.php
@@ -100,11 +100,14 @@ class ModelTest extends CakeTestCase {
 
 		$result = $TestModel->hasAndBelongsToMany;
 		$expected = array('AssociationTest2' => array(
-			'unique' => false, 'joinTable' => 'join_as_join_bs', 'foreignKey' => false,
-			'className' => 'AssociationTest2', 'with' => 'JoinAsJoinB',
-			'associationForeignKey' => 'join_b_id', 'conditions' => '', 'fields' => '',
-			'order' => '', 'limit' => '', 'offset' => '', 'finderQuery' => '',
-			'deleteQuery' => '', 'insertQuery' => ''
+				'unique' => false, 
+				'joinTable' => 'join_as_join_bs', 
+				'foreignKey' => false,
+				'className' => 'AssociationTest2', 
+				'with' => 'JoinAsJoinB',
+				'associationForeignKey' => 'join_b_id', 
+				'conditions' => '', 'fields' => '', 'order' => '', 'limit' => '', 'offset' => '', 
+				'finderQuery' => '', 'deleteQuery' => '', 'insertQuery' => ''
 		));
 		$this->assertEqual($result, $expected);
 
@@ -171,6 +174,25 @@ class ModelTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEqual($TestModel->Tag->name, 'Tag');
 		$this->assertEqual($TestFakeModel->Tag->name, 'Tag');
 	}
+/**
+ * test Model::__construct
+ *
+ * ensure that $actsAS and $_findMethods are merged.
+ *
+ * @return void
+ **/
+	function testConstruct() {
+		$this->loadFixtures('Post', 'Comment');
+		
+		$TestModel =& ClassRegistry::init('MergeVarPluginPost');
+		$this->assertEqual($TestModel->actsAs, array('Containable', 'Tree'));
+		$this->assertTrue(isset($TestModel->Behaviors->Containable));
+		$this->assertTrue(isset($TestModel->Behaviors->Tree));
+		
+		$TestModel =& ClassRegistry::init('MergeVarPluginComment');
+		$this->assertEqual($TestModel->actsAs, array('Containable', 'Containable' => array('some_settings')));
+		$this->assertTrue(isset($TestModel->Behaviors->Containable));
+	}
 /**
  * testColumnTypeFetching method
  *
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/models.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/models.php
index 386faba88..d090d8134 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/models.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/model/models.php
@@ -497,6 +497,69 @@ class ModifiedComment extends CakeTestModel {
 		return $results;
 	}
 }
+
+/**
+ * MergeVarPluginAppModel class
+ *
+ * @package       cake.tests
+ * @subpackage    cake.tests.cases.libs.model
+ */
+class MergeVarPluginAppModel extends AppModel {
+/**
+ * actsAs parameter
+ *
+ * @var array
+ */
+	var $actsAs = array(
+		'Containable'
+	);
+}
+/**
+ * MergeVarPluginPost class
+ *
+ * @package       cake.tests
+ * @subpackage    cake.tests.cases.libs.model
+ */
+class MergeVarPluginPost extends MergeVarPluginAppModel {
+/**
+ * actsAs parameter
+ *
+ * @var array
+ */
+	var $actsAs = array(
+		'Tree'
+	);
+/**
+ * useTable parameter
+ *
+ * @var string
+ */
+	var $useTable = 'posts';
+}
+/**
+ * MergeVarPluginComment class
+ *
+ * @package       cake.tests
+ * @subpackage    cake.tests.cases.libs.model
+ */
+class MergeVarPluginComment extends MergeVarPluginAppModel {
+/**
+ * actsAs parameter
+ *
+ * @var array
+ */
+	var $actsAs = array(
+		'Containable' => array('some_settings')
+	);
+/**
+ * useTable parameter
+ *
+ * @var string
+ */
+	var $useTable = 'comments';
+}
+
+
 /**
  * Attachment class
  *