We present results of a search for very low mass stars and brown dwarfs towards the central region of the Hyades cluster .
Using Two Micron All Sky Survey ( 2MASS ) near-infrared and Second Palomar Sky Survey ( POSSII ) optical photometry , we select candidates corresponding to spectral types M8 through L4 at the distance of the Hyades .
Spectroscopic followup data indicate that none are cluster members .
The lack of members in the mass range 0.08 < M < 0.06 M _ { \odot } is consistent with prior evidence that this 600 Myr old cluster is deficient in very low mass objects .
Three of our objects are spectral type M8 , with surface gravity sensitive features intermediate between dwarfs and giants .
We interpret these objects as background brown dwarfs , perhaps associated with the Taurus star formation region .