diff --git a/src/nsfns.m b/src/nsfns.m
index 3d3d5ec1bde..dddceb8d17b 100644
--- a/src/nsfns.m
+++ b/src/nsfns.m
@@ -2209,6 +2209,62 @@ Frames are listed from topmost (first) to bottommost (last).  */)
   return build_string (ns_xlfd_to_fontname (SSDATA (name)));
 }
 
+static void
+ns_init_colors (void)
+{
+  NSTRACE ("ns_init_colors");
+
+  NSColorList *cl = [NSColorList colorListNamed: @"Emacs"];
+
+  /* There are 752 colors defined in rgb.txt.  */
+  if ( cl == nil || [[cl allKeys] count] < 752)
+    {
+      Lisp_Object color_file, color_map, color, name;
+      unsigned long c;
+
+      color_file = Fexpand_file_name (build_string ("rgb.txt"),
+				      Fsymbol_value (intern ("data-directory")));
+
+      color_map = Fx_load_color_file (color_file);
+      if (NILP (color_map))
+	fatal ("Could not read %s.\n", SDATA (color_file));
+
+      cl = [[NSColorList alloc] initWithName: @"Emacs"];
+      for ( ; CONSP (color_map); color_map = XCDR (color_map))
+	{
+	  color = XCAR (color_map);
+	  name = XCAR (color);
+	  c = XFIXNUM (XCDR (color));
+	  c |= 0xFF000000;
+	  [cl setColor:
+		[NSColor colorWithUnsignedLong:c]
+		forKey: [NSString stringWithLispString: name]];
+	}
+      @try
+	{
+#if defined (NS_IMPL_COCOA) && MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 101100
+#if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED < 101100
+	  if ([cl respondsToSelector:@selector(writeToURL:error:)])
+#endif
+	    if ([cl writeToURL:nil error:nil] == false)
+	      fprintf (stderr, "ns_init_colors: could not write Emacs.clr\n");
+#if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED < 101100
+	    else
+#endif
+#endif /* MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 101100 */
+#if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED < 101100 || defined (NS_IMPL_GNUSTEP)
+	      if ([cl writeToFile: nil] == false)
+		fprintf (stderr, "ns_init_colors: could not write Emacs.clr\n");
+#endif
+	}
+      @catch (NSException *e)
+	{
+	  NSLog(@"ns_init_colors: could not write Emacs.clr: %@", e.reason);
+	}
+    }
+}
+
+static BOOL ns_init_colors_done = NO;
 
 DEFUN ("ns-list-colors", Fns_list_colors, Sns_list_colors, 0, 1, 0,
        doc: /* Return a list of all available colors.
@@ -2220,6 +2276,12 @@ Frames are listed from topmost (first) to bottommost (last).  */)
   NSColorList *clist;
   NSAutoreleasePool *pool;
 
+  if (ns_init_colors_done == NO)
+    {
+      ns_init_colors ();
+      ns_init_colors_done = YES;
+    }
+
   if (!NILP (frame))
     {
       CHECK_FRAME (frame);
diff --git a/src/nsterm.m b/src/nsterm.m
index d0bbd1b4660..932d209f56b 100644
--- a/src/nsterm.m
+++ b/src/nsterm.m
@@ -591,7 +591,6 @@ - (unsigned long)unsignedLong
   setenv ("LANG", lang, 1);
 }
 
-
 void
 ns_release_object (void *obj)
 /* --------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -5891,53 +5890,6 @@ Needs to be here because ns_initialize_display_info () uses AppKit classes.
       ns_antialias_threshold = NILP (tmp) ? 10.0 : extract_float (tmp);
     }
 
-  NSTRACE_MSG ("Colors");
-
-  {
-    NSColorList *cl = [NSColorList colorListNamed: @"Emacs"];
-
-    /* There are 752 colors defined in rgb.txt.  */
-    if ( cl == nil || [[cl allKeys] count] < 752)
-      {
-        Lisp_Object color_file, color_map, color, name;
-        unsigned long c;
-
-        color_file = Fexpand_file_name (build_string ("rgb.txt"),
-                         Fsymbol_value (intern ("data-directory")));
-
-        color_map = Fx_load_color_file (color_file);
-        if (NILP (color_map))
-          fatal ("Could not read %s.\n", SDATA (color_file));
-
-        cl = [[NSColorList alloc] initWithName: @"Emacs"];
-        for ( ; CONSP (color_map); color_map = XCDR (color_map))
-          {
-            color = XCAR (color_map);
-            name = XCAR (color);
-            c = XFIXNUM (XCDR (color));
-            c |= 0xFF000000;
-            [cl setColor:
-                  [NSColor colorWithUnsignedLong:c]
-                  forKey: [NSString stringWithLispString: name]];
-          }
-
-        /* FIXME: Report any errors writing the color file below.  */
-#if defined (NS_IMPL_COCOA) && MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 101100
-#if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED < 101100
-        if ([cl respondsToSelector:@selector(writeToURL:error:)])
-#endif
-          [cl writeToURL:nil error:nil];
-#if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED < 101100
-        else
-#endif
-#endif /* MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 101100 */
-#if MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED < 101100 \
-  || defined (NS_IMPL_GNUSTEP)
-          [cl writeToFile: nil];
-#endif
-      }
-  }
-
   NSTRACE_MSG ("Versions");
 
   delete_keyboard_wait_descriptor (0);