diff --git a/include/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem b/include/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem
index 044021b48..9187722f3 100644
--- a/include/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem
+++ b/include/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem
@@ -40,16 +40,39 @@ namespace osgParticle
         
         /// Draw the connected particles as either a line or a quad strip, depending upon viewing distance. .
         virtual void drawImplementation(osg::State& state) const;
-
+        
+        ///Get the (const) particle from where the line or quadstrip starts to be drawn
+        const osgParticle::Particle* getStartParticle() const
+        {
+            return (_startParticle != Particle::INVALID_INDEX) ? &_particles[_startParticle] : 0;
+        }
+        
+        ///Get the particle from where the line or quadstrip starts to be drawn
+        osgParticle::Particle* getStartParticle()
+        {
+            return (_startParticle != Particle::INVALID_INDEX) ? &_particles[_startParticle] : 0;
+        }
+        
+        ///Set the maximum numbers of particles to be skipped during the predraw filtering
+        void setMaxNumberOfParticlesToSkip(unsigned int maxNumberofParticlesToSkip){_maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip = maxNumberofParticlesToSkip;}
+       
+        ///Get the maximum numbers of particles to be skipped during the predraw filtering
+        unsigned int getMaxNumberOfParticlesToSkip(){ return _maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip;}
+        
     protected:
 
         virtual ~ConnectedParticleSystem();
 
         ConnectedParticleSystem& operator=(const ConnectedParticleSystem&) { return *this; }
-
-        int _startParticle;
+        
         int _lastParticleCreated;
-    };
+        unsigned int _maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip;
+        
+        int _startParticle;
+       
+      };
+
+
 
 }
 
diff --git a/src/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem.cpp b/src/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem.cpp
index 218199b34..f8823b79a 100644
--- a/src/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem.cpp
+++ b/src/osgParticle/ConnectedParticleSystem.cpp
@@ -20,14 +20,16 @@ using namespace osgParticle;
 
 ConnectedParticleSystem::ConnectedParticleSystem():
     _startParticle(Particle::INVALID_INDEX),
-    _lastParticleCreated(Particle::INVALID_INDEX)
+    _lastParticleCreated(Particle::INVALID_INDEX),
+    _maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip(200)
 {
 }
 
 ConnectedParticleSystem::ConnectedParticleSystem(const ConnectedParticleSystem& copy, const osg::CopyOp& copyop):
     ParticleSystem(copy,copyop),
     _startParticle(copy._startParticle),
-    _lastParticleCreated(copy._lastParticleCreated)
+    _lastParticleCreated(copy._lastParticleCreated),
+    _maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip(200)
 {
 }
 
@@ -105,8 +107,9 @@ void ConnectedParticleSystem::reuseParticle(int particleIndex)
     particle->setPreviousParticle(Particle::INVALID_INDEX);
     particle->setNextParticle(Particle::INVALID_INDEX);
     
-    // do the actual destroy of the particle
-    ParticleSystem::destroyParticle(particleIndex);
+    // put the particle on the death stack
+    ParticleSystem::reuseParticle(particleIndex);
+
 }
 
 void ConnectedParticleSystem::drawImplementation(osg::State& state) const
@@ -119,7 +122,7 @@ void ConnectedParticleSystem::drawImplementation(osg::State& state) const
     float pixelSizeOfFirstParticle = unitPixelSize * particle->getCurrentSize();
     //float desiredGapBetweenDrawnParticles = 50.0f/unitPixelSize;
     //float desiredGapBetweenDrawnParticles2 = desiredGapBetweenDrawnParticles*desiredGapBetweenDrawnParticles;
-    unsigned int maxNumParticlesToSkip = 200;
+    
     float maxPixelError2 = osg::square(1.0f/unitPixelSize);
     
     if (pixelSizeOfFirstParticle<1.0)
@@ -145,7 +148,7 @@ void ConnectedParticleSystem::drawImplementation(osg::State& state) const
 
                 // now skip particles of required
                 for(unsigned int i=0;
-                    i<maxNumParticlesToSkip && ((distance2<maxPixelError2) && (nextParticle->getNextParticle()!=Particle::INVALID_INDEX));
+                    i<_maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip && ((distance2<maxPixelError2) && (nextParticle->getNextParticle()!=Particle::INVALID_INDEX));
                     ++i)
                 {
                     nextParticle = &_particles[nextParticle->getNextParticle()];
@@ -185,7 +188,7 @@ void ConnectedParticleSystem::drawImplementation(osg::State& state) const
 
                 // now skip particles of required
                 for(unsigned int i=0;
-                    i<maxNumParticlesToSkip && ((distance2<maxPixelError2) && (nextParticle->getNextParticle()!=Particle::INVALID_INDEX));
+                    i<_maxNumberOfParticlesToSkip && ((distance2<maxPixelError2) && (nextParticle->getNextParticle()!=Particle::INVALID_INDEX));
                     ++i)
                 {
                     nextParticle = &_particles[nextParticle->getNextParticle()];
@@ -216,5 +219,7 @@ void ConnectedParticleSystem::drawImplementation(osg::State& state) const
         }
         glEnd();
     }
-
 }
+
+    
+