untracked symlinks are less precious than untracked files?

While I was poking around in t6035-merge-dir-to-symlink.sh, I noticed this:

diff --git a/t/t6035-merge-dir-to-symlink.sh b/t/t6035-merge-dir-to-symlink.sh
index 92e02d5..46b401b 100755
--- a/t/t6035-merge-dir-to-symlink.sh
+++ b/t/t6035-merge-dir-to-symlink.sh

@@ -5,21 +5,22 @@ test_description='merging when a directory was replaced with 

a symlink'
 
 test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'create a commit where dir a/b changed to 
symlink' '
 	mkdir -p a/b/c a/b-2/c &&
 	> a/b/c/d &&
 	> a/b-2/c/d &&
 	> a/x &&
 	git add -A &&
 	git commit -m base &&
 	git tag start &&
 	rm -rf a/b &&
-	ln -s b-2 a/b &&
+	# ln -s b-2 a/b &&
+	>a/b &&
 	git add -A &&
 	git commit -m "dir to symlink"
 '
 
 test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'keep a/b-2/c/d across checkout' '
 	git checkout HEAD^0 &&
 	git reset --hard master &&
 	git rm --cached a/b &&
 	git commit -m "untracked symlink remains" &&
 	 git checkout start^0 &&

With this change, where a symlink is replaced by a regular file, the 'git 
checkout start^0' fails. At this time, a/b is untracked. When it is a 
symlink, it is replaced by a directory. When it is a file, the test fails:

error: The following untracked working tree files would be overwritten by 
checkout:
        a/b

Is it by design that symlinks are less precious than files, or is it an 
oversight?

-- Hannes