Default/protected access question

Question

Why does this work:
The class below extends TreePath but is in a foreign package to TreePath. The call at *1* is to a constructor in TreePath that has "default" access. Shouldn't this fail to compile since the "default" modifier only allows classes in the same package access? The call at *2* works as I would expect since the TreePath constructor being called there has "protected" access.
Thanks,
      * Subclass of treepath with needed public constructors.    
     private class ExtendedTreePath extends TreePath {
          public ExtendedTreePath(Object singlePath) {
               super(singlePath);                                        // *1*
          public ExtendedTreePath(TreePath parent, Object lastElement) {
               super(parent, lastElement);                               // *2*
     }

Answer 1

Hmm... That is odd. I get a slightly different, but no more helpful, compiler message. I know that an object has to implement Cloneable in order for the clone to succeed, but that's just a tag interface that should lead to a runtime exception.
I think a slight adjustment in thinking about "protected" explains it:
"Protected means it can be called by classes in the same package, and by subclasses, and this class (like every class) is a subclass of object, so why can't it be called?"
That's what I thought. What I would suspect is the case, though, has to do with clarifying the "and by subclasses" piece of that rather imprecises wording of the rule.public class MyClass extends Object {
    public void meth() {
        Object obj1 = new Object();
        Object obj2 = obj2.clone(); // or, I imagine, any protected method would fail here
        MyClass mine = new MyClass();
        mine.meth2(); // this should work, It think
        super.clone(); // this should work
    protected void meth2() {
} I don't really know how to word this very well, but it seems that we can only call protected methods on super, or, I would guess, on other members of our class. We can call Object's clone (or other protected) method if we're call it on super, but not on an arbtirary object.
I don't know if that's correct, but play around with it, or re-read the relevant parts of the JLS and see if it jives.