diff --git a/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.cc b/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.cc
index 7458ec3..0fb855b 100644
--- a/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.cc
+++ b/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.cc
@@ -34,6 +34,15 @@
 /** include proprietary header files */
 #include <H5Fed.hh>
 
+/** \brief make the C API functions available so that
+ * we can used them in the implementation of the H5Fed class
+ * member functions implementations.
+ */
+extern "C"
+{
+	#include <H5Fed.h>
+}
+
 
 /** activate namespaces */
 using namespace H5Fed;
@@ -63,6 +72,14 @@ H5Fed::H5Fed(std::string filename)
 }
 
 
+/** \brief implement constructor */
+~H5Fed::H5Fed()
+{
+	/** initialize internal variables */
+	filename_.erase();
+}
+
+
 /** \brief Set name of H5Fed file to be accessed */
 H5FED_RETURN_CODE H5Fed::filename(std::string filename)
 {
diff --git a/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.hh b/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.hh
index 8167af6..f432746 100644
--- a/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.hh
+++ b/src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.hh
@@ -72,16 +72,10 @@ namespace H5Fed
 		
 		/******	INQUIRY routines *****************************************************/	
 		
-		
-		
-		
+
 	protected:
 		
 		
-		
-		
-		
-		
 	private:
 		/** book keeping */
 		std::string filename_;								/** \brief Name of H5Fed file to be accessed */