endless "sysquery: no addrs found for root"

[John]

OK. I'm stumped.

This is on a FreeBSD 4.9-STABLE system with named 8.3.7-REL

I have set up a pretty basic named.conf file:

options {
        directory "/etc/namedb";

        forwarders {
                64.81.159.2;
                216.231.41.2;
        };

zone "." {
        type hint;
        file "named.root";
};

zone "0.0.127.IN-ADDR.ARPA" {
        type master;
        file "localhost.rev";
};

zone "0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.IP6.INT" {
        type master;
        file "localhost-v6.rev";
};

When I try to start named with this config, the log file shows
Feb 19 22:16:50 jsrh named[177]: starting (/etc/namedb/named.conf).  named 8.3.7-REL Tue Feb 17 15:01:48 CST 2004       john at dexter.starfire.mn.org:/usr/obj/usr/src/usr.sbin/named
Feb 19 22:16:50 jsrh named[178]: Ready to answer queries.

but then I get an endless stream of
Feb 19 22:16:58 jsrh named[178]: sysquery: no addrs found for root NS (K.ROOT-SERVERS.NET)

for each one of the root name servers.  Just for grins, I downloaded the
lastest named.root file, but that didn't help (of course).  I also dropped
the firewall, but that didn't help, either.

When I run nslookup with the name nameservers listed as in the forwarders,
I'm able to make queries from this same system, including resolving
the root NS entries that are generating all these errors.

I'm clearly assuming something I shouldn't, or think I know something I
don't - because this just doesn't make sense to me.

Help?

TIA
-- 

John Lind
john at starfire.MN.ORG