diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/figure.py b/lib/matplotlib/figure.py
index 439785d9fd30..9e8c2402523a 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/figure.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/figure.py
@@ -1097,8 +1097,8 @@ def subplots(self, nrows=1, ncols=1, sharex=False, sharey=False,
             # instead treated as a bool for sharex.
             if isinstance(sharex, int):
                 warnings.warn(
-                    "sharex argument to add_subplots() was an integer. "
-                    "Did you intend to use add_subplot() (without 's')?")
+                    "sharex argument to subplots() was an integer. "
+                    "Did you intend to use subplot() (without 's')?")
 
             raise ValueError("sharex [%s] must be one of %s" %
                              (sharex, share_values))
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_subplots.py b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_subplots.py
index 5af1716821bc..d588f7b4b13b 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_subplots.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_subplots.py
@@ -113,8 +113,7 @@ def test_exceptions():
                                 message='.*sharex\ argument\ to\ subplots',
                                 category=UserWarning)
         assert_raises(ValueError, plt.subplots, 2, 2, -1)
-        # uncomment this for 1.5
-        # assert_raises(ValueError, plt.subplots, 2, 2, 0)
+        assert_raises(ValueError, plt.subplots, 2, 2, 0)
         assert_raises(ValueError, plt.subplots, 2, 2, 5)