Think about it… after the twelve days of Christmas, do you really have:
12 partridges in pear trees
22 turtle doves
30 French hens
36 calling birds
40 golden rings
42 geese a-laying
42 swans a-swimming
40 maids a-milking
36 ladies dancing
30 lords a-leaping
22 pipers piping
12 drummers drumming
That’s a lot of geese a-laying.