--- a/scripts/specfun/primes.m
+++ b/scripts/specfun/primes.m
@@ -18,12 +18,13 @@
 
 ## -*- texinfo -*-
 ## @deftypefn {Function File} {} primes (@var{n})
-##
 ## Return all primes up to @var{n}.
 ##
-## The algorithm used is the Sieve of Eratosthenes.
+## The output data class (double, single, uint32, etc.) is the same as
+## the input class of @var{n}.  The algorithm used is the Sieve of
+## Eratosthenes.    
 ##
-## Note that if you need a specific number of primes you can use the
+## Notes: If you need a specific number of primes you can use the
 ## fact that the distance from one prime to the next is, on average,
 ## proportional to the logarithm of the prime.  Integrating, one finds
 ## that there are about @math{k} primes less than
@@ -33,6 +34,9 @@
 ## @ifnottex
 ## k*log (5*k).
 ## @end ifnottex
+##
+## See also @code{list_primes} if you need a specific number @var{n} of
+## primes.
 ## @seealso{list_primes, isprime}
 ## @end deftypefn
 
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@
 ## Author: Francesco Potortì
 ## Author: Dirk Laurie
 
-function x = primes (n)
+function p = primes (n)
 
   if (nargin != 1)
     print_usage ();
@@ -50,9 +54,9 @@
     error ("primes: N must be a scalar");
   endif
 
-  if (n > 100000)
+  if (n > 100e3)
     ## Optimization: 1/6 less memory, and much faster (asymptotically)
-    ## 100000 happens to be the cross-over point for Paul's machine;
+    ## 100K happens to be the cross-over point for Paul's machine;
     ## below this the more direct code below is faster.  At the limit
     ## of memory in Paul's machine, this saves .7 seconds out of 7 for
     ## n = 3e6.  Hardly worthwhile, but Dirk reports better numbers.
@@ -71,8 +75,8 @@
         sievem(5*i+1:6*i+1:lenm) = false;
       endif
     endfor
-    x = sort ([2, 3, 6*find(sievem)-1, 6*find(sievep)+1]);
-  elseif (n > 352)                # nothing magical about 352; must be >2
+    p = sort ([2, 3, 6*find(sievem)-1, 6*find(sievep)+1]);
+  elseif (n > 352)                # nothing magical about 352; must be > 2
     len = floor ((n-1)/2);        # length of the sieve
     sieve = true (1, len);        # assume every odd number is prime
     for i = 1:(sqrt (n)-1)/2      # check up to sqrt (n)
@@ -80,7 +84,7 @@
         sieve(3*i+1:2*i+1:len) = false; # do it
       endif
     endfor
-    x = [2, 1+2*find(sieve)];     # primes remaining after sieve
+    p = [2, 1+2*find(sieve)];     # primes remaining after sieve
   else
     a = [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, ...
          53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97, 101, 103, 107, ...
@@ -88,7 +92,11 @@
          173, 179, 181, 191, 193, 197, 199, 211, 223, 227, 229, ...
          233, 239, 241, 251, 257, 263, 269, 271, 277, 281, 283, ...
          293, 307, 311, 313, 317, 331, 337, 347, 349];
-    x = a(a <= n);
+    p = a(a <= n);
+  endif
+
+  if (! isa (n, "double"))
+    cast (p, class (n));
   endif
 
 endfunction
@@ -99,4 +107,5 @@
 
 %!error primes ()
 %!error primes (1, 2)
+%!error <N must be a scalar> primes (1, ones (2,2))