Tuesday.

Visitors were asked not to linger, but to walk quietly past the cordoned-off area.

The object of all the attention was swimming around happily and strongly enough, oblivious to concerns being voiced on its behalf by its human keepers.

A seal pup, born at 5.30 that morning, was doing well and attempting to nurse, but its mother was showing a decided lack of maternal instinct and was refusing to bond with her infant.

By yesterday afternoon, however, Aquarium curator, Mr. Jack Ward was able to announce that Calico, who was herself hand-reared, was at last showing interest in her pup.

"Seals make poor first-time mothers and often fail to nurse their young but there is now a fair chance that they will bond and that intervention will not be necessary,'' he said.

If Calico fails to nurse her offspring, it will have to be hand-reared. The pup, which is about two feet long and weighs about 15 pounds, has not yet been named.

"We are not quite sure of its sex, but we think it's a female,'' said Mr.

Ward.

The birth of this latest seal pup presents a dilemma for the Bermuda Aquarium as it is surplus to their needs.

And although Aquarium officials have announced that they will attempt to find another home for the pup, they admit that surplus seals are difficult to place.

Mr. Ward explained that Bermuda's seals are a common species, with a 30-year life expectancy in the wild and 40 years in captivity. In addition, they are also easily bred in captivity, which means that other aquariums are not, on the whole, actively looking for them.

Admitted Mr. Ward: "This was never intended to happen. We had constructed a separate pool to keep Archie away from the females during the breeding season, but because of bad weather, building was unfortunately delayed and Calico came into breeding condition early''.

He said that because of his age, Archie, a harbour seal, is not a good candidate for castration under anaesthetic.

"We are investigating a newly-developed male contraceptive injection which we may be able to use on Archie in addition to, or in place of separation,'' Mr.

Ward said.

If the Aquarium's latest acquisition does not commence nursing within the next day or so, staff will have to commence the arduous and time-consuming ritual of hand-feeding, which takes place four times a day for two months. Mr. Ward said that if that happens, the seal pup would not be on display for that period.

"But we're much more hopeful today. Dr. Jaime Bacon, who is our seal trainer, and extremely knowledgeable, says they look a bit like a Laurel and Hardy act at the moment, but that things are looking much better this afternoon.'' SEALED AND DELIVERED -- This adorable baby seal, born on Wednesday morning, takes a morning dip in the Aquarium pool.