Frederic Austin's 1909 version, which introduced the now-standard melody, also altered the fourth day's gift to four 'calling' birds, and this variant has become the most popular, although 'colly' is still found. This wording must have been opaque to many even in the 19th century: ' canary birds', 'colour'd birds', 'curley birds', and 'corley birds' are found in its place.

The 1780 version has 'four colly birds'- colly being a regional English expression for 'coal-black' (the name of the collie dog breed may come from this word).

Some variants have ' juniper tree' or ' June apple tree' rather than 'pear tree', presumably a mishearing of 'partri dge in a pear tree'.

In one 19th-century variant, the gifts come from 'my mother' rather than 'my true love'.

However, a 20th-century variant has 'my true love gave to me' this wording has become particularly common in North America.

In the early versions 'my true love sent' me the gifts.

On was added in Austin's 1909 version, and became very popular thereafter.

In the earliest versions, the word on is not present at the beginning of each verse-for example, the first verse begins simply 'The first day of Christmas'.

Subsequent versions have shown considerable variation: The earliest known version of the lyrics was published in London under the title 'The Twelve Days of Christmas sung at King Pepin's Ball', as part of a 1780 children's book, Mirth without Mischief. First page of the carol, from Mirth without Mischief (c.

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