diff --git a/lib/mongo/connection.rb b/lib/mongo/connection.rb
index 8b8b3e7..c88983b 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/connection.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/connection.rb
@@ -277,8 +277,8 @@ module Mongo
     # @return [Hash]
     def database_info
       doc = self['admin'].command({:listDatabases => 1})
-      returning({}) do |info|
-        doc['databases'].each { |db| info[db['name']] = db['sizeOnDisk'].to_i }
+      doc['databases'].each_with_object({}) do |db, info|
+        info[db['name']] = db['sizeOnDisk'].to_i
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/mongo/cursor.rb b/lib/mongo/cursor.rb
index a2e1a04..a0ed322 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/cursor.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/cursor.rb
@@ -321,9 +321,7 @@ module Mongo
           {fields => 1}
         when Array
           return nil if fields.length.zero?
-          returning({}) do |hash|
-            fields.each { |field| hash[field] = 1 }
-          end
+          fields.each_with_object({}) { |field, hash| hash[field] = 1 }
         when Hash
           return fields
       end
diff --git a/lib/mongo/util/core_ext.rb b/lib/mongo/util/core_ext.rb
index 7f19f05..bc034e5 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/util/core_ext.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/util/core_ext.rb
@@ -20,10 +20,21 @@
 class Object
 
   #:nodoc:
-  def returning(value)
-    yield value
-    value
-  end
+  def tap
+    yield self
+    self
+  end unless respond_to? :tap
+
+end
+
+#:nodoc:
+module Enumerable
+
+  #:nodoc:
+  def each_with_object(memo)
+    each { |element| yield(element, memo) }
+    memo
+  end unless [].respond_to?(:each_with_object)
 
 end