A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Oolah, a lizard, practises throwing returning bubberah boomerangs before a watching Galah. Proud of her attention, he throws with extra force. The returning weapon strips skin and feathers from her head. Oolah hides beneath a bindeah bush, but the injured bird finds him.

The Galah rolls him against the prickles and rubs her bleeding head on his punctured skin. She declares that he will always carry the spikes and blood stain. Oolah answers that she will remain bald beneath her crest while he remains red and prickly. Parker’s telling thus connects an encounter between speaking animals with visible bodily features.

Returning bubberahThorn puncturesReciprocal bodily declarations
01

Origins & earliest records

K. Langloh Parker, Australian Legendary Tales (London: David Nutt, 1896), The Galah, and Oolah the Lizard, pp. 6–7.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected English retelling inspected; Parker’s preface and 1896 title page checked.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Australian Legendary Tales: The Galah, and Oolah the Lizard, pp. 6–7

    K. Langloh Parker, collector and English reteller; individual storyteller unassigned · 1896

    Selected complete tale, not the whole collection, inspected.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary collected textParker 1896: The Galah, and Oolah the LizardResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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